2020 Siepi, Mazzei, Tuscany, Italy
Critics reviews
So juicy, with so much tension and elegance. I just love the part that Sangiovese plays in this wine, capturing signature flavours and character from the site, adding nuance to the tar, liqourice, sage, rosemary, Chinese spice, savoury red fruits. The 2019 vintage of this wine was stunning, but you are not going to go far wrong with the 2020.
The same family as Conterno, in the wine business since 1435, and as with so many Italian wines this is just so effortlessly food-friendly, you are practically picking up the phone to invite friends over as you finish the first glass. Gionata Pulignani winemaker, 14 days maceration for Merlot, 18 days for Sangiovese, 70% new oak (with a slightly shorter ageing for Sangiovese), then kept in bottle for 4 months before release.
Drink 2023 - 2040
Jane Anson, JaneAnson.com (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.
Drink 2026 - 2040
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (July 2022)
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.
Drink 2023 - 2040
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate (June 2022)
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.
James Suckling, JameSuckling.com (July 2022)
Ageing 18 months in French oak barrels (70% new), barriques (Merlot), tonneaux (Sangiovese), followed by four months in concrete tanks.
Dried herbs and sweet spices on the nose, forest notes with bramble fruits, concentrated and expressive. Such a smooth delivery on the palate, tannins glide across the tongue giving the sweet strawberry, raspberry and plum fruit time to expand in the mouth as the acidity gives a mouthwatering aspect. This is very much on the lively and vibrant fruit - shouting loudly about its energy. Feels extremely well made, clear definition, finesse and balance.
Such a gorgeous fruit profile, the high-toned strawberry and cherry, bright and piercing, yet also round and generous with tobacco and wood nuances. Ample tannins are fine but present, giving support. All round an exceptionally beautiful wine. I love this. Giving such immediate and youthful enjoyment but this will continue to age well.
Drink 2023 - 2045
Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com (July 2022)
About this WINE
Marchesi Mazzei
Sangiovese
A black grape widely grown in Central Italy and the main component of Chianti and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano as well as being the sole permitted grape for the famed Brunello di Montalcino.
It is a high yielding, late ripening grape that performs best on well-drained calcareous soils on south-facing hillsides. For years it was blighted by poor clonal selection and massive overcropping - however since the 1980s the quality of Sangiovese-based wines has rocketed upwards and they are now some of the most sought after in the world.
It produces wines with pronounced tannins and acidity, though not always with great depth of colour, and its character can vary from farmyard/leather nuances through to essence of red cherries and plums. In the 1960s the advent of Super Tuscans saw bottlings of 100% Sangiovese wines, as well as the introduction of Sangiovese/Cabernet Sauvignon blends, the most famous being Tignanello.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
Ageing 18 months in French oak barrels (70% new), barriques (Merlot), tonneaux (Sangiovese), followed by four months in concrete tanks.
Dried herbs and sweet spices on the nose, forest notes with bramble fruits, concentrated and expressive. Such a smooth delivery on the palate, tannins glide across the tongue giving the sweet strawberry, raspberry and plum fruit time to expand in the mouth as the acidity gives a mouthwatering aspect. This is very much on the lively and vibrant fruit - shouting loudly about its energy. Feels extremely well made, clear definition, finesse and balance.
Such a gorgeous fruit profile, the high-toned strawberry and cherry, bright and piercing, yet also round and generous with tobacco and wood nuances. Ample tannins are fine but present, giving support. All round an exceptionally beautiful wine. I love this. Giving such immediate and youthful enjoyment but this will continue to age well.
Drink 2023 - 2045
Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com (July 2022)
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