Wine Advocate (98)

Here's a wine that embodies the spirit of the vintage. It comes from a small one-hectare vineyard site located on the crest of a hill, or the so-called "donkey's spine" maybe because it looks like a schiena d'asino or maybe because the labor-intensive farming broke its proverbial back. The Mastrojanni 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Schiena d'Asino shows a sweet spot with ripe red cherry and plump blackberry or plum. It segues slowly to spice, tar and licorice. This wine is a bit more streamlined and linear compared to the Vigna Loreto, and the Vigna Schiena d'Asino is also longer, deeper and more nuanced in comparison. It finishes with a beautiful blast of bight cherry. This wine is truly beautiful. Only 6,000 bottles were made, and we can look forward to this wine's release in September 2020.

Expressing an unmatched elegance, the Mastrojanni Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Schiena d'Asino 2018 is an exquisite Italian wine effortlessly encapsulating the rich terroir of the Montalcino region, Tuscany. This exceptional Brunello, crafted by the esteemed Mastrojanni Estate, is born from the meticulous selection of Sangiovese grapes harvested from the vineyard Schiena d'Asino. This south-east facing vineyard at 350m above sea level, benefits from a sunny and dry climate yielding grapes with a perfect balance of sugar and acidity.

Following fermenting in concrete vats, the wine matures gracefully for three years in oak barrels, which imparts complex flavour profiles and a polished texture. On the palate, expect profound notes of dark cherries and delicate hints of Mediterranean herbs, followed by elegantly structured tannins. The Mastrojanni Brunello di Montalcino Vigna Schiena d'Asino 2018 is an eloquent testament to the estate's commitment to winemaking excellence.

Jeb Dunnuck (96)

Expressive and pure, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Vigna Schiena D'Asino offers layered aromatics of cherry cordial, pressed roses, incense, and candied licorice. The palate is medium-bodied, with resonating volume, focused acidity, and brisk, well-defined tannins, as well as persistent mouthwatering salinity and orange peel notes that last long on the finish. It’s a fabulous Brunello to drink over the coming 15 years or more. Drink 2026-2045.

Indulge in the exquisite Mastrojanni Rosso di Montalcino Vigna Palazzetto 2020, a standout Tuscan red from the prestigious Mastrojanni winery. Internationally recognised, Mastrojanni sources its grapes from the fabled Montalcino region, using traditional winemaking methods to capture Italy's heritage in every bottle. The 2020 Vigna Palazzetto, handcrafted from 100% Sangiovese grapes, captivates us with remarkable elegance and depth.

Matured for a year in Allier tonneaux, this fine wine epitomises boldness and durability, characteristic of the region's robust terroir. The palate reveals intriguing notes of ripe red fruits, subtle spices and earthy undertones, underpinned by balanced acidity and a textured finish. It pairs excellently with rich meats and bold flavours, elevating every dining experience.

With only limited bottles produced annually, the Mastrojanni Rosso di Montalcino Vigna Palazzetto 2020 is indeed a rare find for any wine lover, and an aromatic journey through one of Italy's most revered wine regions.

Wine Advocate (93)

The 2011 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello Fonterutoli is a standout wine and I prefer it to the 2012 vintage and the 2010 vintage (that I reviewed twice over the course of a year with divergent scores). Of these wines, this vintage offers the broadest sense of intensity and generosity. The wine is also distinguished by dark fruit and spice that stand tall with clear identities. The best fruit from the estate's various vineyard sites are selected for this wine. This careful selection process makes it possible to dedicate the best fruit to a wine like this despite varying vintage conditions.

Decanter (97)

This is delicious! Finds a good gear and runs with it through to a lengthy finish. Seductive cherry, graphite, sweet spice and red forest fruit aromas flow onto a beautifully harmonious and complex palate, conveying a tender texture of dark cherry and plummy fruit that’s carried by perfectly pitched tannins. The flavours linger long in the mouth. It will make many red wine devotees swoon.

Decanter (97)

This is a stunning wine with a complex cherry, prune, herbal, leather and balsamic bouquet. Excels on the concentrated and succulent palate, with lovely mouthfeel and lots of spicy, smooth, fleshy tannins, superfine acidity and great length. A classic gourmand style per eccellenza perhaps but remarkable from any angle. (Platinum Medal)

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)

This is savoury, dry in the best possible way, with a ton of red fruits, dried roses and herbs, and waves of fragrance. It’s a successful blend where the Sangiovese is dominant, conferring the wine with its warm personality but the Cabernet Sauvignon adds a touch of austerity to the tannins and a sense of quiet confidence. Turmeric and olive tapenade as it opens, alongside raspberry, red cherry and smoky oak, the whole thing both extremely delicate and intensely fragrant. Can drink now with a short carafe - there are tannins here but they are well defined and finely layered - but it will also age. Small amounts of the 2018 were released last winter, but this September sees the first proper release through the Place de Bordeaux. Ageing 18 months in small French oak barrels, 70% new, plus four months in concrete tanks afterwards. One to look out for - great stuff from the Mazzei family, that has been making wine in Tuscany since the 15th century.

Vinous (95)

The 2020 Concerto di Fonterutoli is bright and punchy, with terrific freshness and tons of nuance. Plum, pomegranate, spice, new leather and blood orange are front and center. The 2020 is a gorgeous wine that captures the essence of the house style beautifully. Today, the purity of the fruit really jumps out of the glass. Superb.

Vinous (95)

The 2020 Concerto di Fonterutoli is bright and punchy, with terrific freshness and tons of nuance. Plum, pomegranate, spice, new leather and blood orange are front and center. The 2020 is a gorgeous wine that captures the essence of the house style beautifully. Today, the purity of the fruit really jumps out of the glass. Superb.

Decanter (97)

Despite a hot summer in 2021 the nights were cool, which allowed healthy grapes to ripen completely and contributed to the finesse of the tannins, and the Mazzei family has taken a big leap forward in quality, resulting in a wine with increased purity, transparency and finesse. The aromas are clear, bright, and precise with notes of vivid, blackcurrant wrapped in gentle spice. The acidity is vibrant, the flavours are bright and vivacious, and the tannins are fine and beautifully integrated within the wine. This is a stunning wine with effortlessness, ease and flow across the palate.

Decanter (97)

Despite a hot summer in 2021 the nights were cool, which allowed healthy grapes to ripen completely and contributed to the finesse of the tannins, and the Mazzei family has taken a big leap forward in quality, resulting in a wine with increased purity, transparency and finesse. The aromas are clear, bright, and precise with notes of vivid, blackcurrant wrapped in gentle spice. The acidity is vibrant, the flavours are bright and vivacious, and the tannins are fine and beautifully integrated within the wine. This is a stunning wine with effortlessness, ease and flow across the palate.

Decanter (97)

Despite a hot summer in 2021 the nights were cool, which allowed healthy grapes to ripen completely and contributed to the finesse of the tannins, and the Mazzei family has taken a big leap forward in quality, resulting in a wine with increased purity, transparency and finesse. The aromas are clear, bright, and precise with notes of vivid, blackcurrant wrapped in gentle spice. The acidity is vibrant, the flavours are bright and vivacious, and the tannins are fine and beautifully integrated within the wine. This is a stunning wine with effortlessness, ease and flow across the palate.

Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (96)

Love the slow build of this wine, it gently climbs through the palate, savoury and restrained at first, then opening up with a smile, plenty of welcoming dried herbs, chamomile tea, dried rosebuds, orange peel, raspberry fruits. Great quality, full of concentration and lift, push and pull, and just so juicy on the finish. Great stuff, from soils of decomposed limestone and sandstone, aged in large oak casks for the Sangiovese and small barrels for the Cabernet Franc, then 3 months in concrete tanks before bottling. Mazzei family, winemaker Gionarta Pulignani. Tasted with the September Releases and again at the estate.

Wine Advocate (94)

This wine is a symbolic bridge from the Old World to the New. The Mazzei 2019 Philip is an all-Tuscan expression of Cabernet Sauvignon (with a tiny part Cabernet Franc) that delivers rich texture, ripeness and ripe fruit. The wine is named after Philip Mazzei (1730–1816), who was a contemporary of Thomas Jefferson. The two men reportedly exchanged winemaking tips and vineyard techniques. The 2019 vintage nails that proverbial sweet spot between softness, structure, fruit and spice. This is a plush, fruit-forward and balanced Tuscan red.

James Suckling (96-97)

Great depth to this with a fabulous center-palate of ripe fruit such as plums, blackberries and blueberries, not to mention raspberries. Full-bodied and showing an ultra-fine and intense texture. Superb finish. Great potential.

James Suckling (98)

What a beautiful nose of elderberries, freshly picked blackcurrants, citrus, herbs, licorice and crushed stones, amidst a backdrop of coffee beans, cedar and vanilla. Full-bodied and very subtle and refined with tightly wound tannins and an impressive balance of fruit and acidity. Long, grainy and elegant on the finish. A masterpiece. Drink in 2020.

Vinous (96)

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.

Vinous (97)

Siepi, Fonterutoli’s Merlot/Sangiovese blend, is absolutely gorgeous in 2018. Rich, pliant and creamy, Siepi offers all of the seductiveness of Merlot with the bright acids and grip of Sangiovese. Inky blue/purplish fruit, lavender, dried herbs, spice, licorice and new leather meld together in an open-knit, inviting Tuscan red with no hard edges and tons of allure shaped by alberese soils with a good bit of clay. The 2018 is an undeniably sexy wine with so much immediacy. Siepi (the wine) is built on a core of holdings from Siepi, a historic property dating back to the 1400s, plus holdings from the broader Fonterutoli estate. Merlot and Sangiovese lots are harvested, vinified and aged separately. The 2018 saw long macerations 20 or more days, followed by 16-17 months in French oak, with a preference for 225L barrels for Merlot and larger 500L tonneaux for the Sangiovese, which also spent a bit less time in oak. The final blend was assembled and then the wine spent 5-6 months in cement, a recent change made for the first time in 2017 that really seems to let the purity of the fruit come out. The 2018 is positively stellar and also one of the very best editions in recent memory. Don’t miss it.

Vinous (97)

Siepi, Fonterutoli’s Merlot/Sangiovese blend, is absolutely gorgeous in 2018. Rich, pliant and creamy, Siepi offers all of the seductiveness of Merlot with the bright acids and grip of Sangiovese. Inky blue/purplish fruit, lavender, dried herbs, spice, licorice and new leather meld together in an open-knit, inviting Tuscan red with no hard edges and tons of allure shaped by alberese soils with a good bit of clay. The 2018 is an undeniably sexy wine with so much immediacy. Siepi (the wine) is built on a core of holdings from Siepi, a historic property dating back to the 1400s, plus holdings from the broader Fonterutoli estate. Merlot and Sangiovese lots are harvested, vinified and aged separately. The 2018 saw long macerations 20 or more days, followed by 16-17 months in French oak, with a preference for 225L barrels for Merlot and larger 500L tonneaux for the Sangiovese, which also spent a bit less time in oak. The final blend was assembled and then the wine spent 5-6 months in cement, a recent change made for the first time in 2017 that really seems to let the purity of the fruit come out. The 2018 is positively stellar and also one of the very best editions in recent memory. Don’t miss it.

Vinous (99)

The 2019 Siepi continues a trend towards greater finesse and nuance in this wine. Crème de cassis, lavender, spice, licorice and plum meld together effortlessly in the glass. Dense and layered, with striking detail, the 2019 is so impressive. The flavors are bright, bold and punchy. An exceptionally beautiful and riveting wine, the 2019 is rich and concentrated, but not at all heavy. What a total knock-out.

Decanter (98)

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. This is very much on the lively and vibrant fruit - shouting loudly about its energy. 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. Giving such immediate and youthful enjoyment but this will continue to age well. Ageing 18 months in French oak barrels (70% new), barriques (Merlot), tonneaux (Sangiovese), followed by four months in concrete tanks.

Decanter (98)

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. This is very much on the lively and vibrant fruit - shouting loudly about its energy. 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. Giving such immediate and youthful enjoyment but this will continue to age well. Ageing 18 months in French oak barrels (70% new), barriques (Merlot), tonneaux (Sangiovese), followed by four months in concrete tanks.

Decanter (98)

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. This is very much on the lively and vibrant fruit - shouting loudly about its energy. 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. Giving such immediate and youthful enjoyment but this will continue to age well. Ageing 18 months in French oak barrels (70% new), barriques (Merlot), tonneaux (Sangiovese), followed by four months in concrete tanks.

Decanter (98)

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. This is very much on the lively and vibrant fruit - shouting loudly about its energy. 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. Giving such immediate and youthful enjoyment but this will continue to age well. Ageing 18 months in French oak barrels (70% new), barriques (Merlot), tonneaux (Sangiovese), followed by four months in concrete tanks.

James Suckling (98)

An opulent yet tensioned young red with blackberries, violets and black olive skin character. Full-bodied. But has so much energy and focus. Goes on for minutes. A blend of merlot and sangiovese. Best after 2028.

James Suckling (98)

An opulent yet tensioned young red with blackberries, violets and black olive skin character. Full-bodied. But has so much energy and focus. Goes on for minutes. A blend of merlot and sangiovese. Best after 2028.

James Suckling (98)

An opulent yet tensioned young red with blackberries, violets and black olive skin character. Full-bodied. But has so much energy and focus. Goes on for minutes. A blend of merlot and sangiovese. Best after 2028.