Isole e Olena Toscana Collezione Privata Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

	From star winemaker Paolo de Marchi
	Wood-matured, refined and classic
	Leaves many Bordeaux Cru Classé behind

Belongs to the best wines in the world.

The name Isole e Olena is almost synonymous with sublime sangiovese. But it seems as if every grape that owner and winemaker Paolo de Marchi touches turns to gold. Paolo's Cabernet is not only one of the best in Tuscany, but can easily compete with the world's best.

Paolo planted his Cabernet between 1984 and 1999. He got the vines from Bordeaux, the cradle of the grape. He has a total of 3.5 hectares, on a soil consisting mainly of galestro: a mixture of clay and schist. The grapes are harvested by hand, usually in the second half of October.

After harvest, the fully destemmed Cabernet grapes fermented in stainless steel tanks and partly in large oak barrels. The peels remain in contact with the juice for about four weeks, for the right degree of extraction of color, aroma, and tannin. The wine then matures for two years in barriques of French and a very small part of American oak (40% new). After bottling, the wine matures further in the bottle on the estate for approximately three years for optimal, harmonious flavor development.

Isole's Cabernet is a fabulous wine. The scent is expressive and refined with notes of blueberry, plum, vanilla and sage. Powerful, full and supple in taste with ripe tannin, beautifully dosed wood and elegant fresh acidity in a finesse final. Do not open this wine too young, because it gains complexity with several years of bottle aging. If you want to drink it in its youth, we recommend that you first aerate the bottle in a carafe.

PRESS REF: Vinous: 98/100 points

The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon is among the finest Cabernet Sauvignons in Italy. High altitude sites in Barberino yield a distinctively mid-weight, elegant, savory Cabernet that is all about reserve. Dark plum, espresso, licorice, menthol and sage start to emerge with a bit of air, but the 2016 is a wine that demands cellaring. Over the years, I have had the good fortune to taste every vintage of the Isole e Olena Cabernet. It is one of the great under the radar wines of Tuscany. The 2016 takes its place with the very finest editions. – Antonio Galloni, September 2020