Paolo de Marchi

Paolo de Marchi, proprietor and winemaker of Isole e Olena is one of the most respected winemakers, not only in Italy, but in the whole world. Considered by his peers to be the dean of Chianti, Paolo is a humble and affable man with an overflowing passion for his terroir.

The incredibly talented, humble, and kind Paolo De Marchi is at the helm of Isole e Olena, and has been since 1976 after taking over from his parents who purchased the property in the 1950s. From the beginning, Paolo has done groundbreaking work to understand and propel the image of Sangiovese. Until very recently, Sangiovese was thought to fare poorly by itself, and the Chianti Classico appellation demanded that it be blended with other grapes (including white) to earn the DOCG. Paolo differed from this opinion. He studied his Sangiovese vines, convinced he could produce a wine that would rival international single-varietal wines. Radically, Paolo produced his first 100% Sangiovese Cepparello in 1980 (according to history he was the second person to do this after Montevertine); this wine was an immediate success and set the standard for the pure Sangiovese movement in Tuscany. Cepparello put Paolo and his estate on the map. 40 years later, the revered Paolo is producing some of his best wines yet!

Paolo de Marchi was born in the village of Lessona in Piedmont, where his family had been living for centuries. In 1955, his father, a lawyer, acquired 300 hectares of land situated in the western part of Chianti Classico, just north of the village of Castellina. In fact, he purchased two adjoining hamlets, ‘Isole’ and ‘Olena’ which the De Marchi family combined to form one, hence the name ‘Isole e Olena’. The history of both estates dates back many hundreds of years, with the earliest documentation of the village of Olena in the 12th century.

De Marchi studied Agriculture at the university of Turin and went on do several harvests in California and France, an audacious and brave decision in the early 1970s. 

Fired with passion and will power, the young man came back to Tuscany to work at the family wine estate. A brilliant, erudite man, Paolo simultaneously taught agriculture at the university of Turin.

De Marchi recalls that when he started to work at Isole e Olena ‘it was a mess’. His father had used subsidies from the European community to scrap antique hillside terraces and replanted almost fifty hectares with high-yielding and tractor-friendly vineyards.

Modest, however strong-minded and forward-thinking, Paolo teamed up with a small group of super Tuscan producers, aiming to boost the quality of wines. He was determined to understand the potential of Sangiovese. Even at that time, he was strongly convinced that the Chianti region could produce better wines and so he experimented. 

For instance, De Marchi was the first winemaker in Chianti to use oak barrels when chestnut barrels had been the traditional vessels to age wine, for centuries. He also secretly produced the first Chianti made with red only grapes when this wasn’t permitted - white grapes had to be included in the blend. 

After a decade of research, in 1996, he was finally ready to start replanting 2.5 hectares of vines, including some of his best performing Sangiovese. He continued selecting the best vines and kept on replanting. Paolo wasn’t going to stop there. He persevered and undertook the titanic project of replanting 8 kilometres of terrace walls at higher and higher densities, and with his best Sangiovese clones.

Paolo de Marchi’s enthusiasm has not faded. The man who has always been at the forefront of improving the quality of his vineyard by careful mixed clone selection, high density plantation, and training, is always questioning himself. This seventy-year-old gentleman with strong vocal opinions admits that targets are constantly moving and, with the unforeseen climate change, his attention to detail is ever greater.

Isole e Olena’s 45 hectares of vineyard surrounded by 250 hectares of forest are situated between 350 - 450 metres above sea level and are planted primarily on galestro soil. Because the western flank of Chianti is open to breezes from the sea, this is a much cooler part of the zone, and results in wines that are lighter, but more scented and elegant than many others.

Paolo De Marchi's vineyards, are superbly tended and he thrives on producing wines that are clearly reminiscent of the place from which they originate. As a result of his immeasurable work, he has become one of the world’s foremost shapers of Sangiovese, reaching top levels of quality in the icon Super-Tuscan, Cepparello. 

Paolo recalls the hard times when he started, back in 1976. But looking backwards, he considers himself fortunate to have lived 600 years of history in one generation. His respect for the past has led him to craft some of the most highly regarded wines in Italy.

Isole e Olena is comprised of two adjoining estates in the Barberino Val d’Elsa subregion of Chianti Classico. The land totals 290 hectares of which 53 hectares are planted to vines, which include traditional Tuscan varieties as well as international varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Chardonnay. 70% of the estate’s production is traditional Chianti Classico and Vin Santo. The location is on the cooler, western side of Chianti Classico at about 1,310 feet. The wines maintain freshness even in the hottest years because of the sea breezes and steep diurnal shift.
 

Vinous 9/2020
" If there is one winery that merits special recognition this year it is without question Isole e Olena. Paolo De Marchi presented a dazzling set of wines, starting with the 2017 Chianti Classico, a terrific example of the how the warm growing season added an extra element of dimension to some wines. Cepparello is so distinguished. What else is new? Today, readers don’t care much about international varieties in Italy. I will freely admit it – I am not a huge fan. But De Marchi has a rare talent in coaxing so much personality from his Chardonnay, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, all of which are fabulous. I don’t think there is another winemaker in Italy who can match his skill across that many different varieties. And then there is the Vin Santo, which is everything Vin Santo can and should be. Don’t miss these wines."

Vinous 8/2019
"Paolo De Marchi describes 2016 as a cool year with a lot of sunshine and well-timed rains, conditions that resulted in slow ripening of the grapes and a late, relaxed harvest that started at the end of September and wrapped up during the second half of October. As for the wines, they are simply off the charts. I don't know if there is much more I can say than that."

Vinous 2/2019
"Always outspoken, Paolo De Marchi is not shy when it comes to expressing his views. For that reason, he is not really part of the 'in crowd' of owners in Chianti Classico's highly political ecosystem. But he doesn't need to be, the wines speak for themselves. These wines are simply extraordinary. The only wines that fall a bit short are the 2015s, but rain during harvest is not exactly easy to work around. De Marchi's Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is one of just a few wines that truly express what the top of the qualitative hierarchy is, while his wines from international varieties, now out of favor, remain compelling. The flagship remains the 100% Sangiovese Cepparello, which in its best vintages, is capable of developing beautifully in bottle for 25+ years."

Vinous 1/2018
"Paolo De Marchi made one of the very finest wines of the 2014 vintage with a stunning Cepparello. De Marchi was able to push the harvest into late October and early November, which means the Sangiovese got the benefit of the warm, dry days and cool nights that arrived towards the end of the growing season, a time when the last phase of ripening took place under the gentle, shorter days of fall. There are plenty of other noteworthy wines in this collection, including the terrific 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Collezione Privata. These wines show why De Marchi and Isole e Olena occupy a spot among the world's elite wine estates."

Vinous 9/2015
"Paolo De Marchi remains one of the most forward-thinking producers in Italy. His 100% Sangiovese Cepparello was a ground -breaking wine in the 1980s, when Sangiovese was four-letter word and international varieties were all the rage. Now the Gran Selezione is hot and there has never been more focus on pure Sangiovese in Chianti Classico. So what does De Marchi do? Simply make one of the greatest Tuscan wines ever with his 2010 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, which is, ironically, a blend of Sangiovese and Bordeaux varieties. So, now the top wine at Isole e Olena - an estate that has championed Sangiovese for three-plus decades (far before it was fashionable to do so) - is now a blend. In 2011, De Marchi added a dollop of Trebbiano to freshen up his Cepparello. What's old is new again? At the end of the day, none of that really matters. 'I want to make the best wine I can. Period,' says De Marchi in his typical self-deprecating style. Make no mistake about it, these are some of the greatest wines being made anywhere in the world. Chapeau."