Winemaker Notes
Pair with flavorful, textured dishes, dark sauces, game and blue cheeses.
Blend: 50% Sangiovese, 50% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Beautiful aromas of violets, berries and currants. Dried flowers, too. Full body, such intense fruit and acidity. Vivid and complex. Wild raspberry. Tight and dense. A triumph for Siepi. Half sangivoese and merlot. Better in 2022 but hard to not drink now.
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Wine Spectator
This has depth and complexity, featuring black cherry, plum, leather, spice and mineral flavors. The dense texture exudes refined tannins as this stays fresh through the long, saturated finish. Fruit, spice and tobacco elements linger. Sangiovese and Merlot. Best from 2020 through 2035. 2,500 cases made.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
By this point in this historic retrospective of 26 vintages, it becomes very easy to spot the warmest and sunniest vintages. The Mazzei 2015 Siepi (a blend of Merlot aged in French oak barrels for 18 months and Sangiovese aged in 500-liter casks) offers dark fruit, spice and lots of eucalyptus, rosemary and balsam herb. The wine also shows some elegant mineral tones with crushed limestone. These results are rich and generous, and what the wine lacks in depth, it makes up for in power and richness. Production was 38,000 bottles. Siepi was not made in the difficult 2014 vintage that saw above average rainfall and below average temperatures. Best After 2022
Established in 1435, the Mazzei family is one of Tuscany’s oldest wine dynasties and they have been cultivating vineyards and crafting fine wine for over 600 years in Fonterutoli in the heart of Chianti Classico. Leading the portfolio today are the Marchesi Mazzei, brothers Francesco and Filippo, as well as Filippo’s son Giovanni, the 25th generation. Notable ancestors include Ser Lapo Mazzei, author of the first known document (1398) using Chianti to reference the wine and region and Philip, an Italian turned American patriot whose friendship and correspondence with Thomas Jefferson inspired the idea that “all men are by nature equally free and independent,” which influenced the Declaration of Independence.
While the family has always honored their legacy, producing acclaimed wines of extraordinary aromatic richness, balance and complexity, they are also leaders in viticulture and vinification. The winery’s vineyards cover 110 hectares across 7 sub-zones of Chianti Classico featuring different soils, altitudes (720-1870 feet) and micro-climates. All their vineyards are farmed with customized organic practices that focus on soil health, preservation of biodiversity, reduction of copper use, and absorbing 5x more CO2 than is expressed out; a true commitment to reducing environmental impact and fostering sustainability. From their state-of-the-art low-impact, gravity fed cellar to their massal selections and clonal research, the current generation pursues innovation that elevates their wines and protects their ecosystem. This balance of preservation and evolution is also found in the family’s estates in Maremma (Belguardo) and Sicily (Zisola).
Legendary in Italy for its Renaissance art and striking landscape, Tuscany is also home to many of the country’s best red wines. Sangiovese reigns supreme here, as either the single varietal, or a dominant player, in almost all of Tuscany’s best.
A remarkable Chianti, named for its region of origin, will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and plenty of cherry fruit character. From the hills and valleys surrounding the medieval village of Montalcino, come the distinguished and age-worthy wines based on Brunello (Sangiovese). Earning global acclaim since the 1970s, the Tuscan Blends are composed solely of international grape varieties or a mix of international and Sangiovese. The wine called Vine Nobile di Montepulciano, composed of Prognolo Gentile (Sangiovese) and is recognized both for finesse and power.