2004 Siepi
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The Mazzei 2004 Siepi is one of the standout wines in this retrospective thanks to its profound integration and balance. The wine is fine and elegant with a silkiness to the tannins and a mouthfeel that can only be achieved with careful cellar aging. Filippo Mazzei tells me that the tannins were quite dominant when this wine was first released, although they have become soft and pliant now. This marriage of Merlot and Sangiovese is drinking beautifully right now. It's at the top of its game.
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Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Sudden increase in bottle weight to 1,494 g. Alcohol: 14.5%. Total acidity: 5.8 g/l. Unusually wet summer followed by an Indian summer. Harvest: hand-picked starting from 13 September (Merlot), from as late as 7 October (Sangiovese). Fermentation temperature: 28–30 °C. Period of maceration: 14 days (Merlot), 16 days (Sangiovese). Ageing: 16–18 months in small French oak barrels (225 litre, 100% new). Bottling: June 2006. Production: 30,000 bottles. Pretty ripe and rather unappetisingly sweet on the nose. Very much in the big-is-better idiom that prevailed around this time. Reminds me of a beef stock cube rather than the potential delicate transparency of Sangiovese. Not to my taste! No follow-through. (JR)
50% Merlot, 50% Sangiovese. Excitement, race, ink, but great integrity and richness which almost covers the tannins. Very exciting. Supple though no compromises for the moment. Quite long. (JR)
Fonterutoli's Siepi is the most successful of these 2004s. A blend of equal parts Sangiovese and Merlot, it opens with a perfumed nose followed by layers of sweet dark fruit and toasted oak notes, showing notable persistence on the palate and a stylish personality. It saw 18 months' aging in small French oak, 70% of which was new.