2003 Siepi
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This vintage is remembered for a long period of scorching-hot temperatures lasting much of the summer season. Not only did the vintage see extreme heat, there was little in the way of diurnal exchange between day and nighttime temperatures. That means it stayed hot around the clock. What saved the Mazzei 2003 Siepi are the clay soils of the site that can trap in moisture and the advanced age of the vines (coming upon 20 years by this point) that allows for deeper and more resourceful roots. You feel the heat in the soft texture of this sample and in the warm aromas of cola and balsam herb that lift heavily from the glass. The 2003 vintage does not have the same level of magical depth and dimension that we saw in the 2002.
Critic scores
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Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Full bottle 1,243 g. Alcohol: 14.2%. Total acidity: 5.6 g/l. That record heatwave year with an early hot, dry summer. Harvest: hand-picked starting from 22 August (Merlot), 3 September (Sangiovese, which was picked on many different dates throughout the month). Fermentation temperature: 28–30 °C. Period of maceration: 14 days (Merlot), 16 days (Sangiovese). Ageing: 16–18 months in small French oak barrels (225 litre, 100% new). Bottling: June 2005. Production: 25,000 bottles. Dark garnet. On the cusp of oxidation – not ruinously so – but soft without marked acid or tannin. A bit like liquid sweet cinders. Not the finest Siepi! But then this was a year to try all vine growers… (JR)
50% Merlot, 50% Sangiovese. Very deep crimson. Scented, inky, slightly awkward. A dry finish. Very, very dry. Ungainly. Awkward. Maybe once it sheds its tannins…? (JR)
The 2003 Siepi is another big, full-bodied effort from Fonterutoli. It offers an attractive plumpness to is super-ripe dark fruit, with lovely earthy, herbal notes that make an appearance as it sits in the glass. Like the rest of the 2003 line-up the Siepi suffers from hard tannins which clip the finish and ultimately dominate its balance.