~ The Mazzei Family ancestry stretches at least to the year 1435 ~
The Mazzei family roots have chiseled their way deep into the Tuscan earth for over 6 centuries. The center of that foundation resides at Castello di Fonterutoli in Castellina in Chianti. Not only a vineyard property, Fonterutoli is an autonomous hamlet unto itself and features a wonderfully restored Borgo. In Italian, a Borgo is a small rural settlement. The ancient Florentine stronghold of Castello di Fonterutoli is a typical example. A cluster of simple but lovingly crafted stone houses, the Borgo was built to provide accommodation for the estate’s farm workers and their families. That’s still true today, except now the Borgo can also be enjoyed by tourists.
The estate produces several iconic wines including a wonderful Gran Selezione and a pure Cabernet devoted to Filippo Mazzei, a personal friend of Thomas Jefferson. While the hamlet covers more than 650 hectares, only 117 are devoted to vineyards organized into five zones ranging between 220 to 550 meters above sea level. The diverse combination of cultivars, woods, and various soil types combine to create a unique terroir.
~ The cellar at Castello di Fonterutoli is a modern affair filled with various sized barrels from barrrique to tonneaux ~
Fonterutoli, like much of Tuscany, is steeped in ancient history. The area was known to both the Romans and the Etruscans who called it “Fons Rutolae”, meaning “clear spring”; a place to obtain wonderful water laced with nutrient rich limestone deposits. Today, that limestone imparts itself into the estate’s wines.
An icon of the property, Ser Lapo Mazzei was one of the earliest people to record the name “Chianti” in writing. Here, in the year 1398, he mentions in his manuscripts: “On this 16th day of December 1398, 3 floria, 26 soldi and 8 denari shall be given to Piero di Tino di Riccio for 6 barrels of Chianti wine, the aforementioned we pay by written letter from the hand of Ser Lapo Mazzei.” It’s in his honor that today’s subject wine has been created.
~ These limestone walls frame one entire side of Castello di Fonterutoli’s wine cellar. Between the cellar floor and the walls, a trench has been excavated to divert the constantly running water that streams down the walls. In the extreme bottom right of the photo you can see the wall that creates the “trench” ~
The 2013 Mazzei Ser Lapo Chianti Classico Riserva is a deep garnet color with soft violet reflections. Like it’s 2009 sibling, the 2013 is a blend of Sangiovese (90%) and Merlot (10%). The wine needed about 30 minutes of air to begin to express itself vibrantly. Freshly crushed cherry, bright Tuscan herbs, leather and toasted spice notes mark the nose.
On the palate, the wine is fresh and lively. The medium bodied cherry flavors are accented with warmed dust and baking spices while tobacco leaf simmers in the background. The Merlot does not appear to assert itself in terms of flavor, but I do think it adds a sense of plushness to the texture of the wine. Powdery, dusty, mineral driven tannins provide balanced structure. Vinified in stainless steel, the wine ages for 12 months in barriques (50% new) before release.
In terms of 2013, this is another example of a wine that is beginning to show well from what has thus far been a slightly awkward vintage. 92 points. Always a good value and not difficult to locate given most vintages produce 100,000 bottles. Find this wine
~ The 2013 is really blossoming right now ~
Stay tuned for more coverage of Mazzei and Castello di Fonterutoli as I will be updating my tastings from this iconic family.
Salute!
I definitely drank my 2015 too soon, and then they sold out. I do have two 2016s, however, and plan to wait a few years before trying. Any thoughts on those vintages John?
Hi Paul – Well, if you can be patient, you’re in luck. I have a 6 pack of the 2016 winging it’s way to me directly from the Castello. I will try one a few weeks after they arrive and update my review. So you’ll have a detailed data point soon. That said, I agree. This wine needs some age and is built that way. For a true Riserva wine, it is still an excellent value. FYI, the Mazzei website has a great DTC option with US and EU pricing and fair shipping. Most of their wines are available. Plus, I got some oil too. Salute!
Mazzei Wine Club periodically offers excellent promotional pricing and my last order shipped from the US (Syracuse New York). Ser Lapo is real favorite of ours.
Here’s the Mazzei blog post I want to read: A few years ago Mazzei purchased the Badiola vineyard. It’s actually in Radda, right on the border with Castellina. The marketed a 10 Euro ‘entry level’ wine from the vineyard. It was pretty good wine for 10 Euros. Last year they marketed the Badiola wine as Gran Selizone (sorry can’t remember the vintage); one has to ask ‘what changed here? How did they go from 10 Euros to 50 Euros?’ I apologize for going all cynical here, but I’m genuinely curious and would love to see a blog post with info.
Hi Steve,
First, I hope my wines ship from NY too, that would be great because I’d get them soon. I haven’t received any shipping details yet. Secondly, I’d love to do an article on that if I can get the 3 wines. Let me explain what happened and you’ll understand. Mazzei made their Gran Selezione and also a wine called “Mix 36”. (I’ve always hated that name) Then, as you mention, they bought the Badiola property which as you state is in Radda. The vineyard for Mix 36 lies in Castelnuovo Berardenga while the fruit for the traditional Gran Selezione comes from Castellina. Mazzei decided they wanted to highlight the 3 different terroir and so stopped blending fruit for the Gran Selezione but instead now make three. This came into effect with the 2017 vintage. So, they changed the name and label of Mix 36 to “Vicoregio” and made that a Gran Selezione. Then they took the fruit from the oldest vines of Badiola and made a Gran Selezione from that. The Badiola wine at $15 still exists. So now they have 3 100% Sangiovese GS wines from three different commune. I’d love to get them all and taste them together. I think that would be pretty educational. The Badiola vines are seriously high in altitude. I am in contact with their importer and waiting to hear back about which wines are available. Cheers!
So glad to hear that the Badiola GS wine dose reflect some appropriate winemaking steps and that the entry level wine continues to exist.
Mazzei ran a promo over the winter, all three Gran Selzione wines in one package. The idea being to reflect the different terroir each carries from the different villages. Each does reflect the climate they grow in to some extent. Badiola is lean, Castello Fonterutoli is round and Mix 36 is warm.
A few years ago we were in Franco’s entoca in Castellina (it seems everything Chianti Classico for us leads back to Franco). Franco picked up a bottle of Mix 36, pointed to the price tag and said “This wine isn’t for drinking, it’s for putting on your shelf and showing to your friends”. Thats the only negative thing I ever heard Franco say, and it’s stuck with me. I found the wine to be sort of anonymous; good, maybe very good, but somehow generic.
Steve, I’ll be tasting the Badiola GS soon….
I have definite opinions about the Badiola GS, but I’ll keep them to myself to avoid tainting the jury:)