2020, Mazzei Siepi TOSCANA IGT ITALY

A blend of 50% Sangiovese and 50% Merlot.

So juicy, with so much tension and elegance. I just love the part that Sangiovese plays in this wine, capturing signature flavours and character from the site, adding nuance to the tar, liqourice, sage, rosemary, Chinese spice, savoury red fruits. The 2019 vintage of this wine was stunning, but you are not going to go far wrong with the 2020. The same family as Concerto, in the wine business since 1435, and as with so many Italian wines this is just so effortlessly food-friendly, you are practically picking up the phone to invite friends over as you finish the first glass. Gionata Pulignani winemaker, 14 days maceration for Merlot, 18 days for Sangiovese, 70% new oak (with a slightly shorter ageing for Sangiovese), then kept in bottle for 4 months before release. 96 Jane Anson.

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. 95 Monica Larner, Wine Advocate.

Dried herbs and sweet spices on the nose, forest notes with bramble fruits, concentrated and expressive. Such a smooth delivery on the palate, tannins glide across the tongue giving the sweet strawberry, raspberry and plum fruit time to expand in the mouth as the acidity gives a mouthwatering aspect. Feels extremely well made, clear definition, finesse and balance. Such a gorgeous fruit profile, the high-toned strawberry and cherry, bright and piercing, yet also round and generous with tobacco and wood nuances. Ample tannins are fine but present, giving support. All round an exceptionally beautiful wine. I love this. 98 Georgina Hindle, Decanter Magazine.