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Tasting notes
I absolutely love this profound and beautiful Syrah from Tuscany. The 2016 Syrah Collezione Privata offers a unique interpretation of the grape that delivers much of the heft, power, smokiness and textural richness of the French grape, however it also shows purely Italian flares of grilled herb, blue flower, moist earth and Toscano cigar. Bold cherry fruit fills the core of this wine, and there is plenty of padding and extra richness at the edges. The wine is rich, velvety and long in terms of mouthfeel. It ages in oak for 18 months. Some 5,000 bottles were made.
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James Suckling
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2016 Syrah is a fascinating contrast to the 2015. The cooler vintage (vis-à-vis) 2015 yielded a perfumed, silky wine that dazzled with finesse. Silky tannins wrap around a core of dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and licorice. Vivid and finely sculpted, with tremendous nuance, the 2016 has it all. Paolo De Marchi did five vinifications and used a touch of whole clusters in all the lots, which really seems to bring out an extra dimension of aromatic complexity.
This screams syrah when you taste it blind, and for all the right reasons â lamb, steak and charcuterie are all there in abundance. Behind that are more herbal nuances, such as blackberry leaf and juniper berries and, of course, blackberries and blackcurrants. On the palate, this toes a fine line between overt ripeness, raw muscle and resounding mineral freshness. Full-bodied and very long and chewy. Even better than the 2015. Drink from 2025.
About the producer
Situated north of Castellina, on the western side of Chianti Classico, Isole e Olena was created by the De Marchi family in the 1950s and has since become one of the region’s leading names. It is renowned for its top bottling Cepparello, a pure Sangiovese, as well as its brilliant Chardonnay.