2021 Siepi, Mazzei, Tuscany, Italy
Critics reviews
Immediately arresting, in that gorgeous Siepi way where the aromatics hug you and draw you straight into the glass. Love the dark pepper spices, well balanced by tobacco, rose petals, raspberry and greengage plum, sweet spices and fresh orange-peel acidities. Beautiful vintage of this wine, totally moreish and great quality. 70% new oak in barrels of various sizes, 225l for the Merlot and larger oak casks for the Sangiovese. Plenty of room for ageing this. Mazzei family, 6ha estate.
Drink 2026 – 2040
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux, JaneAnson.com
The 2021 Siepi is impressive. Blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and mocha are nicely dialed up. This plush, succulent Sangiovese/Merlot blend is quite the charmer, as it so often is. The 2021 is exceptionally elegant and polished, certainly one of the best editions in recent memory. All that said, my view is that Siepi would benefit from longer aging in wood and or glass, as it is released too early for a wine of its stature and potential.
Drink 2026 – 2041
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com
The 2021 Siepi, 50% Sangiovese and 50% Merlot, is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. It requires a little swirling to unlock bright, pure notes of black cherries, redcurrant jelly, and fragrant soil, followed by hints of black olives, cedar, and Sichuan pepper. The medium to full-bodied palate is packed with taut, muscular red and black fruit layers, framed by chewy tannins and a lively backbone, finishing long and minerally.
Drink 2024 – 2044
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, The Wine Independent
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
Immediately arresting, in that gorgeous Siepi way where the aromatics hug you and draw you straight into the glass. Love the dark pepper spices, well balanced by tobacco, rose petals, raspberry and greengage plum, sweet spices and fresh orange-peel acidities. Beautiful vintage of this wine, totally moreish and great quality. 70% new oak in barrels of various sizes, 225l for the Merlot and larger oak casks for the Sangiovese. Plenty of room for ageing this. Mazzei family, 6ha estate.
Drink 2026 – 2040
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux, JaneAnson.com
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