Mazzei Siepi 2020

Graphite and lead pencil is coming through, together with violets and blackberries. Some tar and asphalt, too. Full-bodied, yet creamy and crunchy, with agile liveliness that goes on for minutes. Fabulous length. Drinkable already, but will age gracefully for decades.

Yields in 2020 were down due to cold spells in April which affected the vines that had already begun budburst, however the summer was pretty average in terms of temperature and rainfall, allowing for a successful growing season. Bottled this May/June and released on La Place on 14 September 2022, the youthful 2020 vintage of Siepi is bursting with black and blue fruits, floral and spice aromas. Intense, concentrated and silky in the mouth, it features balsamic blueberry alongside richer black cherry and a streak of pomegranate. Liquorice, coffee, spice and tar notes from oak ageing are still in the foreground but will settle down and eventually provide a complex backdrop for the fruit to shine. The palate is nicely freshened up by high acidity, which brings clarity and length. 29,000 bottles produced.

The nose balances dense, fiery aromas of grilled meat, pepper and gunpowder with lighter, friendlier notes of cherries and wild berries. The berries take a leading role on the palate, but the spicy smokiness lingers as an assertive undertone, leading into a hot finish. Tannins have grit without being rustic, emphasizing a saliva-inducing savoriness throughout.

Equal parts Merlot and Sangiovese, the Mazzei 2020 Siepi is a terrific vintage in a long line of wines that I had the pleasure of tasting through last year in a complete retrospective. The first vintage produced was 1992. The soils in the Siepi vineyard are especially deep, and the site is surrounded by forests to keep it cool. These conditions give rise to abundant aromas of sweet black cherry, underbrush and blue wild flower. This is a medium to full-bodied Tuscan red that shows enormous elegance and depth.