A fantastic 90 Points from Decanter’s Sarah Jane Evans MW for the Marques de Murrieta 2005 Reserva.
“Murrieta Reserva offers a reliable taste of classic Rioja. This has had about 22 months in American oak, the traditional wood for ageing in the region, giving a superb slick of vanilla and adding richness to the cherry fruit. The ripeness of 2005 makes it ready to drink now, though it has plenty of life ahead.”
June 2015
We are delighted to announce that the Marchesi Mazzei estates Castello di Fonterutoli, Belguardo, and Villa Marcello will be distributed by Maisons Marques et Domaines from 10th June 2015 following the addition of Zisola, the family’s Sicilian estate to their portfolio in 2013.
“The Mazzei family is one of the most acclaimed names in Italian wine with a rich history and heritage and also a vision for the future. We are delighted to be extending our association with the family”, comments MMD Managing Director, Richard Billett, “In particular, the addition of one of the most sought-after Chianti estates, at a time when premium Italian wines are enjoying positive momentum, strengthens our proposition and underlines MMD’s ongoing commitment to the Italian category”.
Giovanni Mazzei adds, “Joining MMD means joining a distributor that we feel represents the level of excellence and commitment we consider important. MMD and Mazzei will form a perfect match with a succinct vision. We are both family-owned companies, sharing similar values and we look forward to a long and prosperous working relationship.”
Castello di Fonterutoli is located near Castellina in Chianti in the heart of the Chianti Classico, and has been owned by the Mazzei family since 1435. Today, the estate comprises 117 hectares of vineyard, largely planted with Sangiovese (36 carefully selected clones that are best suited to the four areas of production: Fonterutoli and Badiola, the higher areas, with clones giving aromas and elegance and the lower areas, Siepi and Belvedere, with clones that provide structure and opulence). A small number of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines are also planted, the latter being blended with equal proportions of Sangiovese to make the iconic, single vineyard ‘Siepi’, made only in the best vintages. The cellar at Fonterutoli designed by architect, Agnesi Mazzei, is one of the most impressive in the Chianti region and has a minimal impact on the environment.
Tenuta Belguardo was purchased in the 1990s after the family identified the potential for producing quality wines on the estate. In line with their philosophy of innovation, the Marchesi Mazzei implemented an intense re-planting programme, carefully selecting grape varieties and clones. The estate is situated in the Maremma between the hills of Grosseto and Montiano, and within the official Morellino di Scansano viticultural zone. The estate is only 10km from the coast which plays an important role in the microclimate of the vineyards which cover 60 hectares and are planted with Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante, Vermentino, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and other indigenous varieties.
Villa Marcello is the latest project of Giovanni Mazzei, who launches his first vintage Prosecco from his mother’s family estate in the Veneto. The Prosecco shows a balance between modern and traditional techniques which highlight the wines’ origin and unique character.
A selection of the wines will be on show at the ‘Definitive Italian’ Tasting in London at the Royal Horticultural Hall on Thursday 25th June and at the ‘Chianti Classico Consorzio’ Tasting in Edinburgh on Tuesday 7th July at the Balmoral Hotel.
“Despite all of the hype on the 2010 vintage for Barolo, the 2011 is a more than worthy successor—in some cases, it produced better-made wines at top vineyard sites.. Warm and generous wines with plenty of ripe fruit and tannins, these Nebbiolos are very attractive to drink now, but they’ll improve with time in your cellar”, according to Tatler, Hong Kong.
Please see below a feature of James Suckling’s top-rated 2011 Barolo which includes the single vineyard ‘Ornato’ from Serralunga d’Alba scoring an impressive 97 points.
2015 has been a great year for Vicente Dalmau Cebrián- Sagarriga, the president of Marqués de Murrieta.
Having won the Best Entrepreneur of the Year from both Actualidad Económica and Condé Nast, followed by best winery in the world, he now completes his hat-trick of awards with Gentleman’s ‘Best Entrepreneur of the Year’.
Upon receiving his third award this year, Vicente noted that this award recognises the “daily, honest and responsible work” of his team to make his 19 year old dream a reality.
For further information please contact Christine Allen (christine.allen@mmdltd.co.uk / 0208 812 3380)
Our annual Domaine Faiveley Grand Cur lunch took place yesterday at The Square, Philip Howard’s superb 2 star restaurant in Mayfair.
Hosted by Erwan Faiveley, 7th generation of the Faiveley family, guests were treated to a bespoke tasting menu matched to the Faiveley wines:
A massive thanks to the team at The Square and our Domaine Faiveley customers for joining us…we will let the dust settle before turning our attention to next year´s lunch.
A group of our top customers and staff were invited to the Mutua Madrid Open by Vicente Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga, Count of Creixell to join him for an evening of tennis followed by a visit to the recently renovated Castillo Ygay in Rioja Alta.
As sponsors of the Mutua Open, we were treated to VIP hospitality and enjoyed Pazo Barrantes and Murrieta´s Reserva from the box.
We were lucky enough to see GB´s Andy Murray take on Spain´s Marcel Granollers and eventually beat Rafael Nadal to take the title…it must have been the home team support.
