"One of the 50 wines that changed the style of Italian wine" 

(Gambero Rosso)

Since its origins, Siepi, owned by the Mazzei family since 1435, has been a model farm, still worked today with the same respect for the territory. A unique location, a special microclimate, the intuition at the beginning of the eighties to plant Merlot as an ideal complement to Sangiovese in a particularly suitable "terroir" give life to a wine with a perfect balance between elegance, power and complexity.

The presentation of the 2020 vintage, on the market since September after moving to the Place de Bordeaux, was an opportunity to take stock of the situation of one of the most famous Italian wines that made history in the 90s and can now be considered a true classic. The wine takes its name from the vineyard of the same name of about six hectares in the municipality of Castellina in Chianti from an intuition of Lapo Mazzei who created the blend of Sangiovese and Merlot in 1992, just thirty years ago. We are between 220 and 310 meters above sea level, a dense forest surrounds and protects this vineyard facing south-east, according to the typical canons of the time, the soils are skeletal, calcareous, poor in organic matter and with little water retention capacity. Along with the alberese there is also a good percentage of clay. Sangiovese was planted in 1997 and 2011 from mass selections of the company's best clones with a density of 5800 plants for the 90s vines and 6600 for the following decade. Merlot, on the other hand, has been present since 1986, also in this case from the company's mass selections. The vineyard is part of the property of the Castle of Fonterufoli that the Marquis Mazzei has owned since 1435.

The initiative to combine an international grape with a native one was quite common at the beginning of the 90s from North to South and was at the time dictated by two basically reasons: the first is that on the various Merlot, Cabernet, Chardonnay there were already thousands of studies that had made the behavior of these vines understandable in the field as well as in the cellar while very little was known about the native Italians. The second, more commercial reason was to give legibility to the grapes of the Belpaese through the passport of foreign ones, while giving a touch of territorial originality. The balance of this trend has never been drawn also because the behaviors are different, the percentages and protocols used vary from winery to winery. In general, we can say that when the union of two or more grape varieties is an expression of good agriculture and good cellar practice, these wines have become great classics. I mention Montevetrano in Campania and Gravello di Librandi in Calabria or, to remain in Tuscany, the 50&50 (nomen omen). The fermentation protocol has always been the same: at the moment global warming has not changed the pedoclimatic conditions of the vineyard that gives perfect grapes: fermentation in truncated conical vats of 100 hectoliters starts thanks to native yeasts. Obviously, the two grapes are processed separately, the Sangiovese is aged in tonneaux while the Merlot is aged in barriques.

The presentation of the Siepi 2020 was made by Nonna Chic in Florence, the different vintages were accompanied by the dishes of the starred chef Vito Molliva who is about to start his new adventure right here. The company, which celebrates the end of 2021 with more than 45%, was represented, in addition to the brothers Filippo and Antonio from the latest generation, the thirty-fourth to be precise, Giovanni and Lapo, who have already been working for some time respectively as export managers and sales director.

Siepi 2020 Toscana igt

We now have the years to hear from the producer that the last harvest is the best, but in the case of 2020 we can only agree. We were struck by the completeness of the wine, with a fruity nose with fresh balsamic hints, the olfactory promises are kept on the palate. Full-bodied, in absolute balance, complex. And even if it has a long life ahead of it like all the previous versions, we can say that uncorking it immediately is not a crime. We are convinced that he will strike with awards and recognitions. The cold nights of April have reduced the production a bit, which in the end stands at 29 thousand bottles for a price that on the web fluctuates between 103 and 112 euros.

Siepi 2019 Toscana igt

Previously, we were convinced that we had reached the maximum with the 2019 vintage, currently on the market, defined by the same company as classic thanks to a sufficiently rainy winter/spring and a warm and regular summer without excessive peaks. A good year all over Italy. This Hedge, bright ruby red like the previous one, was particularly striking for being complete, ready, elegant, fresh, with a precise, clean and satisfying finish. A large bottle that can also be uncorked immediately. 35 thousand pieces are in production.

Siepi 2018 Toscana igt

This vintage also expresses a wine with a perfect correspondence between nose and mouth. A ripe hedge, full-bodied, excellent and fine drinkable, decidedly fast on the palate with a rebound in the long, clean finish. Hints of crisp and fresh red fruit on the palate and in the mouth, balsamic notes, hints of tobacco and Mediterranean scrub. About 38 thousand bottles.

Siepi 2016 Toscana igt

It is impossible, six years after the harvest, to talk about the weather for a wine like Siepi which in the 2016 version still has a bright ruby red color like those that preceded it. A patchy vintage, as it was defined, but that in Tuscany went substantially well both in Montalcino and in the Chianti Classico area. The wine is agile, very fresh, elegant, rich in fruit and balsamic notes on the nose, pleasant finish. Still young but ready to uncork. 25 thousand bottles

Conclusions

Siepi is one of those wines that cannot be ignored when we talk about Italian wine. Not only for its constancy and reliability over time, but also for being a complete expression of a vineyard. It therefore plays its cards on the land rather than on the vine as such, a trend, or rather, a return, increasingly marked. After years in which the native vine has been pursued as a distinctive sign of territoriality, we are once again considering the land on which the vines are planted as the true, and not replicable, distinctive element. In short, the perfect application of dialectical materialism that opposes the thesis with the antithesis in order to arrive at synthesis. Without bothering Hegel and his epigones, a sign of maturity in a world of wine that is still incredibly, and uselessly, ideological.

James Suckling 98 Points

Decanter 96 Points

Wine Advocate 96+ Points

Falstaff 98 Points