Siepi 2021

Tuscan wines are the ones to watch when it comes to investment. Italy overall has posted impressive price returns in recent years, with Super Tuscans in poll position. Even following the recent price growth, Super Tuscans are still attractively valued compared to their counterparts in Bordeaux.

Outside the biggest name such as Sassicaia or Solaia, it is worth looking at smaller wineries, where prices are still affordable. With over 600 years of winemaking, the Mazzei family owns Castello di Fonterutoli, famous for its excellent Chianti. Back in 1981, Super-Tuscan wines were getting underway and the Mazzei family realised the potential of planting non-indigenous grape varieties on their land. They started to experiment with new training systems and new blends and now produce two stunning Super Tuscans: Siepi and Concerto.

2021 - The Growing Season

2021 was a good year. A cold winter with little precipitation was followed by an initially cool spring with adequate rainfall. The summer was hot and long, with good diurnal temperature variations allowing for the grape to achieve optimum ripeness. The harvest was extremely rewarding, in terms of performance and excellent quality and health of the grapes going to cellar; these grapes yield rich, well-structured wines thanks to their thick, but well-balanced, fresh skins. There was a slight decrease in quantity, due to the insufficient rain during the winter which hindered budding in the early-maturing areas.

Siepi – ‘A distinctly SuperTuscan experience’

Siepi vineyard has always been a part of the Mazzei family ownership since 1435, however, it was always farmed separately from the estate. This fantastic vineyard benefits from a unique microclimate with intense sunlight during the day constantly cool down by westerly breezes. The rocky-textured soils of marl, limestone, and clay combined with the inclination of the slope also create a good balance for the vines. These conditions are ideal to grow Merlot on slopes with a south-west exposition, so it does not overripe. Sangiovese thrives on south facing slopes where it can achieve optimum phenolic ripeness while retaining the acidity in the grape. When blend, the wines reveal the perfect balance between elegance, power and complexity.

Merlot has become tricky to grow in Tuscany due to global warming however, the Mazzei family is sticking to its guts and continues using 50% of Merlot in the blend making Siepi a ‘distinctly SuperTuscan experience’, as quoted in Decanter magazine. An equal blend of Sangiovese and Merlot are fermented separately with indigenous yeasts and aged for 18 months in small French and Austrian oak barrels (70% new). The wine will age very well. Secure your stock now.

Siepi 2021 - The Scores

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An opulent yet tensioned young red with blackberries, violets and black olive skin character. Full-bodied. But has so much energy and focus. Goes on for minutes. A blend of merlot and sangiovese. Best after 2028. 98 points James Suckling

This top-shelf wine from Mazzei is a blend of 50-50 Merlot and Sangiovese. The Sangiovese goes into tonneaux and the Merlot ages in 70% new barrique for 18 months. The 2021 Siepi (in a heavy glass bottle) opens to sweet fruit nuances of cooked cherry, blackberry preserves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This full-bodied wine is supple and very soft in terms of mouthfeel, and its flavor profile is expansive and all-encompassing. This wine is balanced and seamless, and the 2021 vintage is certainly one of the best editions of Siepi we've seen so far. 96+ Points, Robert Parker

Intense blackcurrant on the nose, baked and ripe, so expressive and inviting with small hints of liquorice and tar. Supple, generous, juicy, and bright, this 50/50 Sangiovese-Merlot is so well worked and harmonious - rich, wide and full in the mouth, it courses with life and energy and such underlying power. You can feel the intensity and sculpting on show, this is no wall flower of a wine, but it's presented so neatly and beautifully. I love the tannins, massy but controlled and perfectly countering the fresh and ripe red and black fruit with black pepper, tar, tobacco, and bitter orange as well as soft floral edges. The brightness superbly matches the depth and complexity delivering a nuanced glass of wine with so much to say. I love the tannins and the sense of direction and confidence. Still in its brooding, show-off, youthful phase with plenty of heat and spice, but this is a beauty. From the six-hectare estate owned by the Mazzei family since 1435. - 97 Points, Decanter