Deep and full-bodied, but still full of fresh, lifted tones, this is one of the great Super-Tuscans. It comes from a bit of land named Siepi, surrounded by forests below the hilltop town of Castellina. The Mazzei family has owned their extensive estate that includes this since 1435, so winemaking is thoroughly in their blood. France's Merlot works so well here in the hills of Chianti, they created a new style of wine combining it with native star Sangiovese.
Since the 1992 vintage, Siepi has impressed with its marriage of Sangiovese's savoriness and vibrant aromas with Merlot's dark-toned flavors and soft, full mouthfeel. Stony, floral-tinged fruit is infused with woodsy, roasted and baking spice accents from aging in smaller French oak barrels, making Siepi a complex and delicious luxury wine. Practices organic farming.
ANTONIO GALLONI, VINOUS 97 POINTS - "Siepi, Fonterutoli’s Merlot/Sangiovese blend, is absolutely gorgeous in 2018. Rich, pliant and creamy, Siepi offers all of the seductiveness of Merlot with the bright acids and grip of Sangiovese. Inky blue/purplish fruit, lavender, dried herbs, spice, licorice and new leather meld together in an open-knit, inviting Tuscan red with no hard edges and tons of allure shaped by alberese soils with a good bit of clay. The 2018 is an undeniably sexy wine with so much immediacy. Siepi (the wine) is built on a core of holdings from Siepi, a historic property dating back to the 1400s, plus holdings from the broader Fonterutoli estate. Merlot and Sangiovese lots are harvested, vinified and aged separately. The 2018 saw long macerations 20 or more days, followed by 16-17 months in French oak, with a preference for 225L barrels for Merlot and larger 500L tonneaux for the Sangiovese, which also spent a bit less time in oak. The final blend was assembled and then the wine spent 5-6 months in cement, a recent change made for the first time in 2017 that really seems to let the purity of the fruit come out. The 2018 is positively stellar and also one of the very best editions in recent memory. Don’t miss it."
Since the 1992 vintage, Siepi has impressed with its marriage of Sangiovese's savoriness and vibrant aromas with Merlot's dark-toned flavors and soft, full mouthfeel. Stony, floral-tinged fruit is infused with woodsy, roasted and baking spice accents from aging in smaller French oak barrels, making Siepi a complex and delicious luxury wine. Practices organic farming.
ANTONIO GALLONI, VINOUS 97 POINTS - "Siepi, Fonterutoli’s Merlot/Sangiovese blend, is absolutely gorgeous in 2018. Rich, pliant and creamy, Siepi offers all of the seductiveness of Merlot with the bright acids and grip of Sangiovese. Inky blue/purplish fruit, lavender, dried herbs, spice, licorice and new leather meld together in an open-knit, inviting Tuscan red with no hard edges and tons of allure shaped by alberese soils with a good bit of clay. The 2018 is an undeniably sexy wine with so much immediacy. Siepi (the wine) is built on a core of holdings from Siepi, a historic property dating back to the 1400s, plus holdings from the broader Fonterutoli estate. Merlot and Sangiovese lots are harvested, vinified and aged separately. The 2018 saw long macerations 20 or more days, followed by 16-17 months in French oak, with a preference for 225L barrels for Merlot and larger 500L tonneaux for the Sangiovese, which also spent a bit less time in oak. The final blend was assembled and then the wine spent 5-6 months in cement, a recent change made for the first time in 2017 that really seems to let the purity of the fruit come out. The 2018 is positively stellar and also one of the very best editions in recent memory. Don’t miss it."
