Siepi 2023: Timeless character, consistently remarkable each year
Siepi, the Mazzei family’s iconic wine, confirms its status as one of the finest expressions of contemporary Italian winemaking with the release of the new 2023 vintage. Elegant, profound, and persuasive, this Tuscan icon is set to make its debut on international markets in September, once again through La Place de Bordeaux.
At its core, Siepi is a place. It represents the story of a unique vineyard and terroir captured in a bottle: ten hectares in the green heart of Castellina in Chianti, nestled among oak woods that create a distinctive microclimate. From this small ecosystem, treasured like a jewel, Siepi was conceived in 1992 by Lapo Mazzei as a blend of Sangiovese and Merlot.
“This wine continues to amaze and inspire us even after more than thirty years of history,” comment Filippo and Francesco Mazzei. “It has grown with us over time, developing a distinct identity, cultivated with precision and dedication year after year. It is the fruit of extraordinary soils and the result of careful clonal and mass selection, supported by viticulture that is extremely attentive to its delicate hydrogeological balance. Siepi inherits from the past a deep respect for the territory that allows us to pass this land on intact to future generations”.
The soil, composed of Alberese rock, limestone, and Pliocene clays above bedrock, gives the finesse, structure, and longevity that define the wine’s style. In this “vineyard-island”, where the vines are now about 40 years old, the altitude ranges between 240 and 330 metres above sea level, with a south-west exposure. Breezes and temperature ranges complete the harmony of this terroir, making it particularly well-suited to producing wines of character.
“Merlot, with its opulence, softness and colour, is the perfect complement to Sangiovese, which instead lends elegance, complexity and freshness, allowing the wine to age for several decades,” continue Filippo and Francesco Mazzei.
“The 2023 vintage distinguishes itself by a remarkable balance between volume and quality. A mild winter was followed by a rainy spring, with temperatures initially below average, which then stabilised, favouring constant vegetative development. In summer, the rains ceased, and the temperatures encouraged excellent skin thickening and optimal grape development. The manual harvest, which began on September 13th for Merlot and on October 2nd for Sangiovese, took place in favourable weather conditions: the vines yielded a wine that perfectly combines structure with harmony,” explains Gionata Pulignani, oenologist and agronomist at Castello di Fonterutoli.
Siepi whispers with every sip, yet leaves a lasting impression. This wine established itself from the very beginning as one of the great Super Tuscans, reflecting the enduring dialogue between experience and intuition of the Marchesi Mazzei.
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Siepi is Castello di Fonterutoli’s IGT Toscana wine, the pure expression of a single vineyard in the village of Castellina in Chianti. It originates from 10 hectares cultivated with the utmost respect for the environment, using viticulture methods designed to preserve the local microbiome. Sangiovese and Merlot are vinified and aged separately, and after about 18 months comes the blending – a magical stage in which the technical team and the Mazzei family work side by side to taste the parcels. The productive heart of the estate is the Fonterutoli Winery, where Siepi is joined by other outstanding wines: three Gran Selezione labels – Castello Fonterutoli, Vicoregio 36, and Badiòla – each with its own distinct identity, showcasing the excellence of Sangiovese: elegant, complex, and faithful to the appellation; Concerto di Fonterutoli, created in 1981 from Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, among the very first wines to give rise to the Super Tuscan phenomenon; and Ser Lapo Chianti Classico Riserva, dedicated to Ser Lapo, who in 1398 penned the first known document referring to the “Chianti” appellation.
