Siepi 2016

The wine in this vintage

One of Tuscany’s most celebrated vintages, 2016 combined ripeness and freshness thanks to a balanced summer and cool nights, producing wines of great harmony and longevity. In Siepi 2016, Sangiovese brings lift and acidity while Merlot contributes flesh and roundness: sour cherry, blackberry, plum, violet, spice and graphite merge on a deep, silky palate with lovely tension and long persistence. Robert Parker awarded it 96 points and Jancis Robinson 18/20. Already enjoyable, it is a Siepi that will continue to evolve elegantly for many years, revealing ever greater complexity. A reference vintage for the wine.

The producer · Mazzei

The history of the Mazzei family is intertwined with that of Chianti itself: it was the notary Ser Lapo Mazzei who, in a document dated 1398, first used the name Chianti to refer to a wine. Since 1435 the family has owned Castello di Fonterutoli, a medieval hamlet just south of Castellina in Chianti, tending its vines for twenty-four generations. Today the estate is led by brothers Filippo, Francesco and Giovanni Mazzei, who have added Belguardo in the Maremma and Zisola in Sicily to Fonterutoli. In the heart of Chianti Classico the vineyards are spread across several areas, including Fonterutoli, Siepi, Badiola, Belvedere and Caggio, whose different soils and altitudes allow a plot-by-plot reading of Sangiovese. The modern gravity-flow winery, carved into the rock, serves a style that combines precision, depth of fruit and respect for place. Its flagship wines include Siepi, a historic blend of Sangiovese and Merlot, and Ipsus, the expression of a single Sangiovese vineyard.

Critics' scores

• 98 James Suckling
• 96 Robert Parker
• 93 Wine Spectator
• 18/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Mazzei

Region

Toscana

Country

Italia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2016

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

95.7/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0810116