Castello di Fonterutoli - Siepi 2020

JAMES SUCKLING: "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."

DECANTER: "Yields in 2020 were down due to cold spells in April which affected the vines that had already begun budburst, however the summer was pretty average in terms of temperature and rainfall, allowing for a successful growing season. Bottled this May/June and released on La Place on 14 September 2022, 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."

ANTONIO GALLONI: "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."

WINEADVOCATE: "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."

WEINWISSER: "Der Siepi 2020 besteht jeweils zur Hälfte aus Sangiovese und Merlot. Der Erstere wird in großen Holzfässern ausgebaut, der Letztere in zu 70 % neuen Barriques. Im Geruch verfügt der Siepi über eine sehr feingeschliffene und klare Sangiovese-Frucht, mit puristischem Antlitz und ausgezeichneter Tiefe. Und auch im Mund erscheint der Merlot aromatisch eigentlich nur wenig präsent. Eher schlank und finessenreich auf der Zunge angelegt, zeigt sich der Siepi klar definiert und sehr differenziert elegant. Im direkten Vergleich mit dem Concerto aus gleichem Hause erscheint der Siepi trotz hohem Merlot-Anteil deutlich feingliedriger als der Concerto mit nur 20 % Cabernet Sauvignon. Und auch in der Struktur wirkt der Siepi etwas roher und stumpfer als der geschmeidige Concerto. Vermutlich benötigt der Siepi einfach noch mehr Zeit auf der Flasche. 14,5 vol.-%."