Fonterutoli is located 5 km south of Castellina in Chianti (Siena), on the hills facing the Val d’Elsa, in the heart of the Chianti Classico. Owned by the Mazzei family since 1435, it still retains its original form, that of a tranquil country village: a cluster of houses, the church of San Miniato and the villa, built at the end of the 1500s where the medieval castle once stood. Today, the estate comprises 117 hectares of vineyard, largely planted with Sangiovese with some Merlot, Colorino, Malvasia Nera and Cabernet Sauvignon vines also planted. The cellar at Fonterutoli, designed by architect, Agnesi Mazzei, is one of the most impressive in the region, and has a minimal impact on the environment.
Plots: i) Fonterutoli: 450-550 m (1,470-1,800 ft) a.s.l. ii) Siepi: 260 m (850 ft) a.s.l.
Soil: Rocky – from decomposed limestone and sandstone
Age of vines: 19 – 34 years old
Training system: Spur cordon-training and Guyot
No of vines per hectare: 5,600 – 7,500
Harvest: Hand picked starting from September 28th
Fermentation temperature: 26 – 28° C
Period of maceration: 14 – 18 days
Ageing: 18 months in small french oak barrels:
Tonneaux (Sangiovese), Barriques (Cab.Sauv.)
Finissage: 4 months in concrete tanks
Bottling: June 2023
The year 2021 was distinguished by a cold winter with little precipitation. An (initially) cool spring with adequate rainfall was followed by a long, hot summer but with good diurnal temperature variations that allowed excellent completion of the grape ripening process. Worthy of note, an initial delayed development of the vines that resolved itself as the season progressed.
The harvest was extremely rewarding, in terms of performance and excellent quality and health of the grapes going to cellar; these grapes will yield rich, well-structured wines thanks to their thick, but well-balanced, fresh skins.
There was a slight decrease in quantity, due to the insufficient rain during the winter which hindered budding in the early-maturing areas.
Beginning of the harvest: September 9th, 2021
End of the harvest: October 13th, 2021
Rainfalls (sum of rainfall between April 1st and September 30th): 503,1 mm
Temperature Index (sum of average daily temperatures from April 1st to September 30th): 4.511,3 °C
Evaluation: Very good
Rich and juicy, notes of underbrush and black berries, powerful and fine
Spiced dishes, stewed game, aged cheeses
Ageing potential 20 years plus
Vinous 94 Pts
James Suckling 95 Pts
Decanter 96 Pts
Wine Advocate 95 Pts
Falstaff 96 Pts
Toscana IGT
80% Sangiovese
20% Cabernet Sauvignon
Natural Cork
14.19%
5.92%
Yes
