By Mazzei
2020 Castello di Fonterutoli 'Siepi' Toscana IGT

Wine Details
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, and the foresight in the early 1980s to plant Merlot as the ideal grape to complement Sangiovese in a very particular terroir produces a wine that is perfectly balanced between elegance, power, and complexity.

Vineyard Details
Appellation: Toscana IGT
Winery: Fonterutoli - Catellina in Chianti (SI)
Grape Varieties: 50% Sangiovese, 50% Merlot
Vineyard Location: Siepi (Castelling in Chianti)
Elevation: 260 meters (850 feet)
Exposure: South, South-West
Soil: Mainly Alberese
Vineyard Age: 22 to 35 years
Training System: Spur cordon-training and Guyot
Plant Density: 4,500 to 6,500

Winemaking Details
Harvest: Hand-picked
Harvest Dates: September 7th (Merlot), September 21st (Sangiovese)
Fermentation: 26 to 28 degrees C in stainless steel tanks
Maceration: 14 days (Merlot), 18 days (Sangiovese)
Aging: 18 months in French oak barrels (70% new)
Barrels: Barriques (Merlot), Tonneaux (Sangiovese)
Finissage: Four months in concrete tanks
Bottling: June 2022

Tasting Notes
Crispy notes of elder, plum, berries, sandalwood, and tobacco with a very long, bright finish.

Service
Aging Potential: Over 20 years
Food Pairing: Flavorful, textured dishes, dark sauces, game, meditation.
[Information provided by Beyerman]

Mazzei 2020 Siepi Red (Toscana)
From: Toscana, Tuscany, Italy
Rating: 96
Winery: Mazzei
Region: Tuscany
Alcohol: 14.50%
Variety: Red Blends
Wine Type: Red
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Issue Date: 12/31/2023
The nose balances dense, fiery aromas of grilled meat, pepper and gunpowder with lighter, friendlier notes of cherries and wild berries. The berries take a leading role on the palate, but the spicy smokiness lingers as an assertive undertone, leading into a hot finish. Tannins have grit without being rustic, emphasizing a saliva-inducing savoriness throughout.
Reviewed By: Danielle Callegari

MAZZEI TOSCANA SIEPI 2020
Monday, March 13, 2023
Country: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Vintage: 2020
Score: 98
Graphite and lead pencil is coming through, together with violets and blackberries. Some tar and asphalt, too. Full-bodied, yet creamy and crunchy, with agile liveliness that goes on for minutes. Fabulous length. Drinkable already, but will age gracefully for decades.

Castello di Fonterutoli, Siepi, Toscana, Tuscany, 2020
Tasted by: James Button (at The Petersham, London, 05 Sep 2022)
Part of: Siepi: 'A new era'
Points: 97
Drinking Window: 2022 - 2046
Producer: Castello di Fonterutoli
Brand: Siepi
Vintage: 2020
Wine Type: Still
Colour: Red
Country: Italy
Region: Tuscany
Appellation: Toscana
Sweetness: Dry
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 14.50%
Body: Medium
Grapes: 50% Merlot, 50% Sangiovese
[...], the youthful 2020 vintage of Siepi is bursting with black and blue fruits, floral and spice aromas. Intense, concentrated and silky in the mouth, it features balsamic blueberry alongside richer black cherry and a streak of pomegranate. Liquorice, coffee, spice and tar notes from oak ageing are still in the foreground but will settle down and eventually provide a complex backdrop for the fruit to shine. The palate is nicely freshened up by high acidity, which brings clarity and length.

2020 Siepi
Producer: Mazzei - Castello di Fonterutoli
Place of Origin: Italy, Toscana, Castellina in Chianti (Chianti Classico, Siena), Tuscany
Color: Red
Grape/Blend: Sangiovese, Merlot
Rating: 96
Drinking Window: 2026 - 2040
From: Chianti Classico and Neighbors: Looking at the 2020s and 2019s (Jul 2022)
Reviewed By: Antonio Galloni on June 2022
The 2020 Siepi is classy, elegant and super-polished. Inky blue fruit, lavender, new leather, cloves and mocha all meld together effortlessly. There is a sense of precision in the 2020 that is incredibly inviting. Even so, the 2020 is very young and not fully expressing its potential. This just needs time to emerge, but all the elements are there.

2020 Mazzei Siepi
Rating: 95
Producer: Mazzei
Wine Region: Italy, Tuscany, Toscana
Color / Type / Sweetness: Red / Table / Dry
Variety: Proprietary Blend
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
Release Price: $130
Drink Date: 2023 - 2040
Equal parts Merlot and Sangiovese, the Mazzei 2020 Siepi is a terrific vintage in a long line of wines that I had the pleasure of tasting through last year in a complete retrospective. The first vintage produced was 1992. The soils in the Siepi vineyard are especially deep, and the site is surrounded by forests to keep it cool. These conditions give rise to abundant aromas of sweet black cherry, underbrush and blue wild flower. This is a medium to full-bodied Tuscan red that shows enormous elegance and depth.
Published: Jun 30, 2022

Mazzei Toscana Siepi 2020
Score: 94
Price: $130
Wine Type and Color: Red Still
Magazine Issue: Aug 31, 2023
Primary Grape: Sangiovese
Other Grapes: Merlot
Region: Italy / Toscana
Reviewed By: Bruce Sanderson
Boasts black cherry and blackberry fruit wrapped in a cloak of toasty, resinous oak. Reveals cedar and iron notes that add depth as this builds to the long finish. This opened up after an hour in the glass, showing its polish, yet still needs time to absorb the oak. Sangiovese and Merlot. Best from 2026 through 2042. 

Mazzei, Castello di Fonterutoli, Siepi 2020 IGT Toscana
Producer: Mazzei, Castello di Fonterutoli
Cuvee: Siepi
Appellation: IGT Toscana
Region: Toscana
Country: Italy
Colour: Red
Alcohol: 14.50%
Score: 18/20
When to Drink: 2022 - 2034
Published on: 19 Sep 2022
Date Tasted: 13 Sep 2022
Reviewer: Jancis Robinson
Transparent crimson with a pale rim. Haunting, ripe aroma that's probably a Merlot effect but without too much sweetness. On the palate the tang and vibrancy of Sangiovese is evident. But those two elements already seem very nicely married with a light hint of tea. Long. Already a really very beautiful expression of the fruit of the Tuscan hills. Good balance between freshness and ripeness.