Cepparello 1997: When Pure Sangiovese Broke the Rules
Nearly thirty years after harvest, Cepparello 1997 remained centred on fresh cherry, fine texture and precise acidity. The pure Sangiovese that once stood outside the rules of Chianti Classico had matured into proof of why those rules needed to change.
Almost thirty years after harvest, Isole e Olena’s Cepparello 1997 retained remarkable fruit, freshness and definition. A pure Sangiovese created when the rules of Chianti Classico did not permit one, the wine helped change the course of a region. This bottle showed why.
The first aroma was fresh cherry.
Not dried fruit, not the subdued red fruit we sometimes accept as evidence that an old wine is still alive. This was clear, vivid cherry, accompanied by a delicate floral note that brought brightness to the nose. Only after the wine had spent some time in the glass did its more mature character begin to appear.
Sweet spices came first, followed by cigar and tomato leaf. They were unmistakably tertiary notes, but they never became the dominant voice of the wine. The fruit remained in front, while the aromas created by bottle age developed around it.
WINE TASTING The Essential Guide
The Study Library · The Cellar Journal Wine tasting can look far more complicated than it really is. A professional puts their nose into a glass and starts talking about blackcurrants, violets, graphite, leather or wet stones, while someone listening may reasonably wonder whether all of those things are actually there,
ENGLISH WINE The Essential Guide
A complete introduction to English wine, connecting climate, geology, grapes, sparkling wine and modern history to explain how a marginal wine country became one of the world’s most dynamic cool-climate regions.
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Solaia 2002 is the only vintage to carry the words Annata Diversa, after a difficult Tuscan season removed Sangiovese from the blend. More than two decades later, the wine was alive, elegant and finely textured, with the composure of mature Bordeaux and an identity entirely its own.