Isole e Olena Collezione Privata Chardonnay 2022

The fruit for this wine comes from almost six hectares of vineyards located on the North-Eastern side of the estate at an altitude of 400 meters above sea level. Soil here is a mixture of limestone, marl and clay slates. The vines are 30-40 years old and trained with the Guyot system. Paolo De Marchi grafted Chardonnay onto existing vines on the Isole e Olena estate and 1987 became the first vintage of the 'Collezione De Marchi Chardonnay'. In 1989, a new vineyard was planted with five different clones from Burgundy (planted at a density of 5,000 vines per hectare) which came into full production with the 1994 harvest.

The Chardonnay grapes were picked by hand, set in crates and kept at a cold temperature if not immediately pressed. After pressing with a pneumatic press, the must was settled overnight in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature. Following fermentation, the wine was moved into 228 litre French oak barrels, of which 1/3 was new, where it remained on its lees for 10-12 months. During the first six months, the lees were stirred weekly. Partial malolactic fermentation was carried out prior to a light filtration and bottling. The wine remained in bottle for at least six months prior to release.