Tech Notes
Wine Details
Vinous
James Suckling
Decanter
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
By Mazzei
Castello di Fonterutoli Siepi 2018
Estate
Siepi, owned by the Mazzei family since 1435, has always been a model farm, still managed today with the same kind of respect. A unique location, a special microclimate, the foresight in the early 1980s to plant Merlot as the ideal grape to complement Sangiovese in a very particular "terroir" produce a wine that is perfectly balanced between elegance, power, and complexity.
Vineyard Notes
Appellation: Toscana IGT
Winery Location: Loc. Fonterutoli - Castellina in Chianti (SI)
Vineyards: Siepi (Castellina in Chianti); 260 m (850 ft) a.s.l.; S-SW exp.
Soil: Mainly Alberese
Vineyard Age: 20 - 33 years
Training System: Spur cordon training and Guyot
Density: 4,500 - 6,500 vines per hectare
Harvest: Hand-picked September 12th (Merlot), September 22nd (Sangiovese)
Production Notes
Grape Varieties: 50% Sangiovese, 50% Merlot
Fermentation: 26 - 28 degrees C, in stainless steel tanks
Maceration: 14 days (Merlot), 18 days (Sangiovese)
Aging: 18 months in French oak barrels (70% new), barriques (Merlot), tonneaux (Sangiovese)
Finissage: 4 months in concrete tanks
Alcohol: 14.50%
Total Acidity: 5.9 g/l
Bottling: June 2020
Release Date: October 2020
First Vintage: 1992
Service
Aging Potential: Over 20 years
Tasting Notes: Crispy notes of elder, plum, berries, sandalwood, tobacco, with a very long, bright finish
Food Pairing: Flavorful, textured dishes, dark sauces, game, meditation
[Information provided by Mazzei]
Region:
Tuscany
Vintage:
2018
Grape:
Sangiovese, Merlot
Country:
Italy
Unit Size:
750.00 ML
Alcohol Percentage:
14.50
Appellation:
Toscana IGT
Wine: Mazzei - Castello di Fonterutoli 2018 Siepi
Score/Rating: 97
Suggested Drinking Window: 2026 - 2043
Review Date: 02/2021
Reviewed By: Antonio Galloni
Tasting Notes: Siepi, Fonterutoli’s Merlot/Sangiovese blend, is absolutely gorgeous in 2018. Rich, pliant and creamy, Siepi offers all of the seductiveness of Merlot with the bright acids and grip of Sangiovese. Inky blue/purplish fruit, lavender, dried herbs, spice, licorice and new leather meld together in an open-knit, inviting Tuscan red with no hard edges and tons of allure shaped by alberese soils with a good bit of clay. The 2018 is an undeniably sexy wine with so much immediacy. [...] The 2018 is positively stellar and also one of the very best editions in recent memory. Don’t miss it.
Wine: Mazzei Toscana Siepi 2018
Score/Rating: 97
Review Date: 09/18/2020
Reviewed By: James Suckling
Tasting Notes: Extremely perfumed and crystal-clear with violets, plums, raspberries, walnuts and black olives. It’s medium-to full-bodied with very fine tannins that are extremely polished and refined. The length is long and very precise. Chocolate and hazelnuts. This is the 25th anniversary of this fine merlot and sangiovese. Hard not to drink now, but better after 2022.
Wine: Castello di Fonterutoli, Siepi, Toscana, Tuscany, 2018
Score/Rating: 95
Suggested Drinking Window: 2022 - 2040
Review Date: 09/05/2022
Reviewed By: James Button
Tasting Notes: This vintage was a warmer year, similar to 2015, however, as Giovanni Mazzei correctly points out, it combines 'the softness of a warmer vintage with the aromatics of a cooler vintage'. Potpourri, violet, aromatic red fruits and a subtle cocoa touch leap from the glass, inviting you to taste what turns out to be a soft, smooth and intense Siepi framed by invigorating acidity and chalky tannins. The concentrated core of dark fruit and pomegranate develops nuances of black tea, dark chocolate and violets, which linger on the long finish. Simply gorgeous. [...]
Wine: 2018 Mazzei Siepi
Score/Rating: 95
Suggested Drinking Window: 2022 - 2038
Review Date: 04/21/2022
Reviewed By: Monica Larner
Tasting Notes: The Mazzei 2018 Siepi is extremely linear and focused, with a pretty mineral signature that makes a nice segue to red and purple fruit, spice and blue flower. Francesco and Filippo Mazzei tell me that they consider this one of their most "gastronomic" or food-friendly vintages of Siepi, a celebrated blend of equal parts Merlot and Sangiovese. These two grapes complement each other beautifully, with the French grape adding dimension and depth and the Italian grape showing a lifted or buoyant quality to the bouquet. [...] It could pair with a classic Tuscan dish of pappardelle in a slowly simmered wild boar sauce.
Wine: Mazzei Toscana Siepi 2018
Score/Rating: 94
Suggested Drinking Window: Drink now through 2036
Review Date: 08/31/2021
Reviewed By: Bruce Sanderson
Tasting Notes: Black currant, black cherry and cedar aromas and flavors are attractive, while the supple texture and integrated structure add to the appeal. Balanced and open, this is ready to enjoy, yet has the structure to age as well. Sangiovese and Merlot. Drink now through 2036.
