We are in the heart of Chianti Classico. Today, we will visit Cantina Mazzei together with Livio, who will guide us in the discovery and understanding of one of the most historic Italian wine estates.
-Hello Livio
-Good morning Valentina, welcome back.
-Where are we now?
So here we are. At this very moment, we are in Castellina in Chianti, at Castello di Fonterutoli, and therefore at the historic cellar of the Mazzei family, the Marchesi Mazzei.
Here, as you can see, is the new cellar that was completed, or rather, the construction was completed around the beginning of the first decade of the 2000s. Right now, we are standing in the courtyard, the central courtyard where you can see these circular shapes on the floor, which may appear to be lights, but in reality, during the harvest season, they are lifted. After the grapes have been processed and destemmed, the grape berries are directly brought inside these openings. The Mazzei cellar was specifically designed with a gravity concept, so it is built on three levels. We are currently on the first level, and beneath us, there are steel tanks where the grapes fall directly into these tanks through slides. By gravity, they fall into these tanks, and spontaneous fermentation already begins during the grape’s descent.
-I notice that the cellar is very integrated into the landscape, it doesn’t disturb, and it almost seems like it’s built inside a hill. Was this intentional?
-Exactly. This was designed by architect Agnese Mazzei, who is also a member of the family that planned this cellar. The idea was to have as little impact on nature as possible, precisely because of the concept of building this cellar based on gravity. The family’s idea is to manipulate the grapes as little as possible in order to maintain the natural essence of the wine.
-So, who can boast the title of “gran selezione”?
-Therefore, only companies that have their own vineyards, guaranteeing quality throughout the production process from vineyard to cellar, including the vinification and bottling stages, can use the name “Chianti Classico Gran Selezione.” They cannot rely on external bottlers but must ensure that the entire supply chain, from start to finish, is managed by the company itself. This distinction serves to differentiate these companies from bottlers.
Here we are at level minus one. Here, we have 74 truncated cone-shaped steel tanks where the grapes are placed from above through a chute. The chute is adjustable, allowing control over which vineyard, grape variety, and clone are being used. The grapes from this chute then fall directly into these steel tanks, where a gentle and soft pressing takes place to further break the grape skins. The shape of the tanks has been designed to facilitate a continuous flow of liquid, ensuring constant movement inside.
-How many bottles are you able to bottle?
-We are able to bottle one and a half million bottles per year, which translates to approximately 1,000 to 3,000 bottles per day during each bottling cycle.
The quantity varies depending on the different wine references. However, all of them spend a minimum of four months in barrels. Some wines are aged in new barrels for their first passage, while others use second and third passage barrels to impart tertiary notes that are characteristic of Tuscan wines.
-The company has always maintained a consistent choice of oak barrels, or have you explored other solutions over time?
-Over time, new solutions have also been experimented with, and of course, every winery always has an innovative aspect that seeks to explore and experiment, especially in the 1980s during the boom of Super Tuscans. Mazzei winery, in fact, was the first to produce a wine called Siepi, which is also the most prestigious and iconic wine of the company. It is a blend of 50% Merlot and 50% Sangiovese, whereas the trend during those years with Super Tuscans was more focused on a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. Therefore, in 1992, the company produced the first vintage of Siepi, a single-vineyard wine named after the vineyard itself, consisting of 50% Merlot and 50% Sangiovese. From there, other wineries followed this innovative trend to some extent.
-Over the years, the company has also introduced a wine club, which has its own members.
-As we dug deeper, it was discovered that… If you look at this wall in front of us, it is full of minerals. This indicates that the soil is extremely rich in substances, and the vines also benefit from it. Of course, during hot years, all the vines suffer, but it shows you just how mineral-rich the soil is. In fact, this wall didn’t exist during the initial work; it has formed over the years. In about five to ten years, it should be removed because it will regrow. The name Fonterutoli, as the word “fonte” suggests, refers to an area where there are also water springs, making it rich in water resources.
