Isole e Olena (375 ml) 2010 Vin Santo del Chianti Classico DOC

Item Number: 17317

UPC: None

Country: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Sub Region: Chianti Classico
Appellation/AVA: Vin Santo del Chianti Classico DOC
Estate Grown Wine: Yes
Vintage: 2010
Grape(s): 65% Malvasia del Chianti / 35% Trebbiano
Type: Wine - Dessert
Bottle Size: 375 ml
Pack: 12
Closure: Cork

#77 on the Top 100 Wines of Italy 2020 by James Suckling (2009 Vintage)
" 96pts A fantastic vin santo with toffee, burnt-caramel, dried-orange and light coffee character. It’s full-bodied and very, very sweet, yet remains agile and bright. Drink and enjoy."

Winemaking Notes: Making Vin Santo is a painstaking process. Individual bunches of Malvasia and Trebbiano are manually harvested early to preserve acidity and then either hung to dry or placed on wooden mats to dry until sugar levels reach the desired point. Isole e Olena uses bamboo mats for drying; the grapes dry for 3-5 months. The dried grapes are then pressed. The thick must is placed in oak and chestnut barrels of varying size that are filled three-quarters full. Fermentation initiates with a dose of "mother" Vin Santo. Then the barrels are sealed with wax and left unopened for 6 years in the "vinsantaia," which is the term for the designated Vin Santo room usually in the attic. However, Paolo de Marchi moved his Isole e Olena's vinsantaia to the ground floor in 1991. Although it forgoes tradition, he believes having the barrels closer to the cool ground helps preserve acidity and prevent a "cooked" taste to the wine. The Vin Santo is left in contact with its lees, neither racked nor filtered, during the aging process. As the Vin Santo ferments and ages, much of the wine evaporates through the porous, old barrels. As a result, the Vin Santo is essentially a fully-oxidized wine.

Tasting Notes: Golden amber in color, the Isole e Olena Vin Santo shows orange marmalade, toffee, apricots, honey, and vanilla notes show on a luscious palate.