2017 Mazzei Family Siepi

Full bottle all of 1,500 g. Alcohol: 14.2%. Total acidity: 6.7 g/l. Frost reduced the crop and was followed by prolonged heat and drought which meant the Merlot had to be picked pretty early but they decided to delay the Sangiovese harvest until after heavy rain and lower temperatures in September. Harvest: hand-picked starting from 31 August (Merlot), 13 September (Sangiovese). Fermentation temperature: 26–28 °C. Period of maceration: 14 days (Merlot), 18 days (Sangiovese). Ageing: 18 months in small French oak barriques (Merlot) and tonneaux (Sangiovese), both 70% new. Then four months in concrete tanks before bottling in June 2019. Production: 29,500 bottles. Deep crimson. Really very luscious nose in which it's possible to discern both Merlot and Sangiovese, which have already combined to produce a thoroughly satisfying whole. There's still quite a bit of tang and acidity on the finish but the tannins are more evolved than one might expect at this early stage so this is a really vibrant, appetising wine but probably not one of the longest-lived Siepis. (JR)

The 2017 Siepi is a total knock-out and one of the best recent vintages I can remember tasting. All the elements simply fall into place. Succulent dark cherry, spice, chocolate, leather and licorice build as the 2017 gains volume in the glass. Sangiovese and Merlot have rarely been so complementary. The 2017 is a gorgeous wine that offers plenty of the richness readers have become accustomed to over the years, but in a slightly less extracted style.