Author: Dirk Chan
Our online feature this week is the Fonterutoli Mazzei Ser Lapo Chianti Classico Riserva (Tuscany – Chianti, Italy) – $29.49 (regularly $36.99).
The Mazzei family has a long history in Tuscany and wines since the XI century. Ser Lapo Mazzei is the author of the first known document to use the “Chianti” denomination way back in 1398.
In 1435, when his granddaughter Madonna Smeralda Mazzei married Piero di Agnolo da Fonterutoli, the holding became part of the family’s estate. Since then, for 24 generations, the Mazzei family produces wine at the Castello di Fonterutoli, which even after its recent expansion still remains the heatbeat of the company.
The Ser Lapo Chianti Classico Riserva is named to pay tribute to the history of the estate. It is made from 90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot sourced from vines 15-30 years of age in an elevation of between 250 and 350m above sea level, hand-picked.
It’s fresh and structured, with dark cherry, blackberry, smoke and earth. A wine of depth, intensity and complexity that will cellar for a decade or more. Enjoy with gourmet pizza or a pasta with slow-cooked ragu.