Concerto Vertical Tasting

Master of wine Susan Hulme has recently reviewed several vintages of one of our best seller: Concerto di Fonterutoli. Owned by the Mazzei family since 1435, Concerto was first released in 1981, when the Super-Tuscan movement was getting underway. Only fifteen barriques of Concerto were made the first year. A blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine was very harmonious and proved to be so perfectly balanced that it immediately made them think of a symphony, hence the name Concerto. In the last decade, in response to global warming, the Mazzei family has adopted new techniques to emphasise balance and harmony over power. The results are stunning, and Concerto is now one of the best priced flagship Super-Tuscans available on the market.

Susan Hulme’s Notes

Susan Hulmes (MW), the renowned wine critic for Decanter Magazine, was invited to Castello di Fonterutoli for the release of Concerto’s 40th vintage. To celebrate, a vertical tasting of nine wines was held and included 1981, the first vintage ever made, and the latest release 2021. She noticed three clear phases in Concerto’s evolution and particularly enjoyed the 2021, the real star of the show. Full article avalable online.

1980 to 1994
The climate was very different and growers often struggled to ripen the grapes. Acidity was naturally high, tannins were firmer and alcohols lighter, at 12.5 or 13%. The wines of this first phase are never overpowering; their acidity has helped them to age and gives them vivacity, although sometimes with a crunchy, green herb, semi-ripe quality to the fruit.

2011 to 2015
The climate had by then changed significantly, and often there was too much heat and not enough rain. The alcohol in these wines is around 14 to 14.5%. Together with the changing climate, there was a fashion for big wines with powerful ripe fruit and big oak flavours. These wines often remind me of the heavy ‘power dressing’ fashionable in the 1980s, and I found this to be the case with the Concerto 2011 in particular. The 2013, though, is an exception. This wine is an expression of coolness and harmony and is currently at a beautiful stage of its development

2016 to present
With the most recent vintages of Concerto, there has been a decisive move towards wines that express harmony, balance and finesse instead of power. An improved selection of Sangiovese clones, a canopy of leaves is left over the grapes to protect them from the sun and in the winery, the influence of oak has been reduced.

The wines in this tasting were a fascinating reflection of these phases of development and the changes in climate and culture since 1981. I loved the 1981 for its rapier-like focus and acidity and its fragility, and the 2013 for its beautiful poise and balance, but the real star of the show for me was the Concerto 2021 – the culmination of years of careful attention to detail, deep vineyard knowledge, and fine tuning in the cellar to achieve a wine of sublime finesse and drinkability.

Concerto di Fonterutoli - The Scores

1981 - It is always such a thrill to taste the first vintage of an important wine that goes on to have a long history, and this 1981 does not disappoint. It's looking fully mature now and the fruit has begun to fade a little, but the aromas and flavours remind me a little of a Sercial Madeira and there was still so much vibrant and tenacious acidity running through this wine, giving it a little frisson of electricity which, combined with a certain fragility, added to its allure. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2026 – 92 points Susan Hulme MW, Decanter

2013 was a very good year, with warm days, cool nights, and a longer growing season than the other wines in this vertical (the harvest did not begin until 9 October). This has contributed to perfectly ripe tannins and a fine texture and weight that is neither too heavy nor too light, with finely interwoven aromas and flavours of brambly black fruit, liquorice and forest floor, creating a tapestry of contrasting green herb and ripe dark fruits. It's at the perfect sweet spot between maturity and youthfulness: a wine of beautiful poise and harmony. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2033 – 95 points Susan Hulme MW, Decanter. Secure you allocation now.

2015 is big and bold, but like a more refined version of 2011. The oak is less toasty and combines well with intense blackberry and spice aromas and flavours. Bright, fragrant and full of ripe fruit, it has great concentration of exuberant black cherry with vanilla and spice notes, but the tannins are much more refined than in the 2011. In the cellar, the extraction of the tannins was gentler in 2015, and the time on the skins was reduced by two or three days. They also experimented with short ageing in concrete instead of oak at the end of the maturation. Drinking Window: 2023 - 2036 – 94 points Susan Hulme MW, Decanter. Secure you allocation now.

The 2020 Concerto shows even more finesse and harmony than in previous vintages. Since 2019, the time in oak has been reduced by three months, and the last few months maturation takes place in concrete. The Sangiovese is aged in tonneaux, further reducing the oak impact. Attractive blue fruits, black cherry, a touch of new leather and perfumed floral notes combine. On the palate the dark fruits and tannins feel a little heavier in respect to the 2021, with a slightly crunchier green herb flavour, but this wine has a beautiful texture and weight; a vibrant style which is beguiling. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2037 – 95 points Susan Hulme MW, Decanter. Secure you allocation now.

Despite a hot summer in 2021 the nights were cool, which allowed healthy grapes to ripen completely and contributed to the finesse of the tannins, and the Mazzei family has taken a big leap forward in quality, resulting in a wine with increased purity, transparency and finesse. The aromas are clear, bright, and precise with notes of vivid, blackcurrant wrapped in gentle spice. The acidity is vibrant, the flavours are bright and vivacious, and the tannins are fine and beautifully integrated within the wine. This is a stunning wine with effortlessness, ease and flow across the palate. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2042 – 97 points Susan Hulme MW, Decanter. Secure you allocation now.

Other Vintages available

2016 - The 2016 Concerto di Fonterutoli is 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 225-liter French oak for 18 months. The Cabernet Sauvignon element comes through nicely with dark fruit, spice and some grilled herb. The grape gives the wine a heavier and more concentrated center of gravity. However, the soul and style of the wine is driven by the freshness and delicate aromas of the Sangiovese. Production is 37,000 bottles.Drinking Window: 2022 – 2038. – 94 points Monica Larner, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Secure you allocation now.

2018 - I tasted this wine from the 2018 vintage and the 2019 vintage at the same time. It was great fun to be able to compare and contrast. The Mazzei 2018 Concerto di Fonterutoli (an 80-20 blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon) is a true crowd-pleaser. There is beautiful roundness, depth and intensity here with the fundamental characteristics of both grapes showing with true grit. It opens to a darkly saturated appearance and terrific aromatic richness that incorporates elements of dark cherry, prune, spice, savory leather and smoked bacon. I'm opening up the drinking window since I last tasted this wine from barrel to accommodate those lovely, softly evolving tannins. Drinking Window: 2022 – 2038. – 94 points Monica Larner, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Secure you allocation now.

2019 - Such a fragrant and appealing burst of aromas here with milk chocolate, blackcurrants, dried herbs and flowers. A blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, this has a core of cherries and raspberries alongside savoury olive and oak elements with round, just-there tannins that give support to the fresh and lively fruit. Great power, depth and concentration. The wine is aged for 18 months in small French 225l oak barrels, 70% new, before moving to concrete tanks for four months. Drinking Window: 2024 – 2034. – 96 points Georgina Hindle, Decanter. Secure you allocation now.