2010 Siepi
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
The Mazzei 2010 Siepi follows directly after the 2008 vintage because the wine was not produced in 2009. This is classic Siepi (a Tuscan blend of Merlot and Sangiovese with fruit from the village of Castellina in Chianti). The wine is balanced and elegant, rather shy initially, but it opens to pretty menthol notes that come from the French grape as well as dried berry, cassis and blue flower that come from the Italian grape. With a little time in the glass, this vintage remains direct, lifted and vertical in personality. The wine starts slowly, but it comes into full bloom with pretty intensity.
Critic scores
Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
(No 2009 Siepi.) Full bottle 1,500 g. Alcohol: 14.4%. Total acidity: 6.5 g/l. Useful precipitation in winter and spring then a warm but not hot summer encouraged steady ripening. Harvest: hand-picked starting from 16 September (Merlot), 8 October until 26 October (Sangiovese). Fermentation temperature: 26–28 °C (bit cooler than before). Period of maceration: 14 days (Merlot), 18 days (Sangiovese). Ageing: 18 months in small French oak barrels (225 litre, 70% new). Bottling: November 2012. Production: 20,000 bottles from a vintage they were particularly happy with. Bright, but not especially deep, crimson. Sweet, rather oaky nose. Still pretty unformed with lots of acidity in evidence. I'd wait before enjoying this – or aerate it aggressively before serving it. You can see both grape varieties quite clearly in this wine (unlike some earlier vintages that seem dominated by Merlot) but they don't yet seem integrated. (JR)
The 2010 Siepi is a monumental wine with towering intensity and opulent aromas of spice, leather and chocolate covered cherry. The texture of this hearty 50-50 blend of Sangiovese and Merlot is infinitely soft and supple. There are many big-boned wines from Italy that can compare to Siepi, but ultimately this wine is distinguished by its own, unique personality.
The 2010 Siepi hasn't budged much since last year. Freshly cut flowers, dark red stone fruits, tobacco, leather and wild flowers form an attractive fabric in a relatively weightless, silky Siepi.