2020 Fonterutoli - Siepi Toscana Rosso IGT (750ml)

Producer

Castello di Fonterutoli has belonged to the Mazzei family since 1435, making it one of Tuscany's oldest continuously run wine estates. Siepi takes its name from a single vineyard the family has treated as something of a model farm, still managed today with the same care and attention that has guided the property for centuries. In the early 1980s the family made the forward thinking decision to plant Merlot alongside Sangiovese here, a pairing that would go on to define one of Tuscany's most acclaimed modern wines.

Growing and Production

The Siepi vineyard sits in a cool microclimate, surrounded by forest and blessed with unusually deep soils, conditions that allow Merlot and Sangiovese to ripen slowly and develop real complexity. The blend is split evenly between the two varieties, first bottled together in 1992. The 2020 growing season began with a cold, moderately wet winter, followed by a cool spring with well spaced rain, then a long, warm summer tempered by additional showers in June and September that kept the vines from undue stress, producing thick skinned, well ripened fruit despite a somewhat reduced yield.

Tasting Notes

The 2020 vintage is richly built, with black cherry and blackberry fruit wrapped in toasty, resinous oak, joined by cedar, iron, and a lifted note of elder blossom. Medium to full bodied, it shows real elegance and a long, bright finish that continues to unfold with air. This is a wine for special occasions, pairing beautifully with roasted duck, grilled ribeye, or aged Tuscan pecorino.