The Long Game A beautifully mature Tuscan icon, now in that spellbinding stage where power has softened into nuance. The nose opens with dried cherry, wild raspberry and rose, then drifts into tobacco, leather, forest floor, coffee and sweet spice. On the palate, it feels resolved but still alive, silky, savoury and gently structured, with faded red fruit, earthy depth and that vital thread of acidity that keeps it moving. The finish is long, graceful and quietly complex, more about detail than drama now, but still with enough shape and energy to remind you why Cepparello became a benchmark for pure Sangiovese. For when: the bottle matters as much as the moment.Pairs with: bistecca alla Fiorentina, porcini risotto, aged pecorino or slow conversation.If this wine were a place: a candlelit Tuscan dining room at the end of a long autumn day. What makes it specialCepparello was first released in 1980 as Isole e Olena’s top selection of 100% Sangiovese, created by Paolo De Marchi as a pure expression of the grape from the estate’s best fruit. The 1999 vintage was produced in meaningful but still limited quantity, with Wine Spectator noting 4,250 cases made, and it earned 92 points from Wine Spectator and 90 points from Decanter on release. Today, mature bottle notes suggest it has moved firmly into its secondary and tertiary phase, showing dried fruit, earth, leather and mushroom, yet still carrying enough acidity and structure to age with dignity if well stored.
