Terroir-driven wines have never been in such high demand. Winemakers in Burgundy, and also Barolo, have understood the importance of their terroir for a long time. To reflect their typicity, they vinify their wines plot by plot and release them in very small quantities of single vineyards cuvee for the joy of collectors, sommeliers and wine connoisseurs across the world.
Today, single-vineyard wines are produced by talented winemakers in many wine regions including Brunello and Chianti. The latter has recently implemented its new UGA (Additional Geographical Units) status which aims to reflect the homogeneity and identity of specific areas within the Chianti Classico appellation.
Embracing this new era is the Mazzei family. Last year, the three Gran Selezione made at their 600 years old wine estate, Castello di Fonterutoli, achieved new heights. Both Castello Fonterutoli, Vicoregio 36 and Badiola earned their own UGA, which are respectively Castellina in Chianti, Castelnuovo Berardenga and Radda. They are three out of eleven UGAs which are defined by their oenological characteristics, historical significance, recognition and quantity produced.
Castello di Fonterutoli’s Three UGA
The estate spreads across 650 hectares, of which 110 are dedicated to vines. They are split in seven zones ranging between 220 and 570 meters above the sea level, which are further divided into 114 single parcels. All in perfect harmony with other cultivation and woodlands to respect nature and its diversity. Watch the video.
Castelnuovo Berardenga
This is the lowest part of the estate. Sitting between 300m and 350m above sea level, it benefits from a south-east and south exposure and is composed of a mix of chalk, clay and limestone soils. This is a true experimental vineyard planted with 36 biotypes of Sangiovese which includes 18 massal selections coming from their old vineyards. This cutting-edge agronomical project gave birth to Vicoregio 36, a pure-bred Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. Intense and full-bodied it has bright aromas. Only 13,200 bottles are made.Radda
Radda
Radda is the highest plot, at an altitude of 570 meters. Due to its south-east and south-west exposition, the climate is fresher and has the lowest daily temperatures of the estate. The soils are made of shist and sandstone. Badiola is elegant and fresh with concentrated fruits and reveals lovely wild berry flavours. This is their smallest production with only 10,100 bottles made.
Castellina in Chianti
Their largest UGA sits between 350m and 560m above the sea and is the source of Gran Selezione Castello Fonterutoli. The soils are composed of rocky Alberese with a high limestone content and chalk. The vines benefit from a south and south-west exposition bringing high temperature during the day while the surrounding woodland cools down the vines at night. Here, the Sangiovese grapes result in wines combining elegance, structure and mineral character. Selected from the best parcels, this is the real "Château" of the estate. About 47,000 bottles are made.
The 2021 Vintage
The year 2021 was marked by a cold winter with little precipitation. An initially cool spring with adequate rainfall was followed by a long, hot summer with good diurnal temperature variations allowing the grapes to achieve optimum ripeness. The harvest was extremely rewarding, both in terms of performance, quality and health of the grapes. The wines are well-structured thanks to the thickness of the grape's skins.
There was a slight decrease in quantity, due to the insufficient rain during the winter which affected the budding in the early-maturing season.
Rainfall (sum of rainfall between 1/4 and 30/9): 503 mm
Temperatures (sum of average daily temperatures 1/4 - 30/9): 4511 °C
All the wines are hand harvested, aged for 16 to 18 months in French oak barrels (500L using 30 to 50% new oak) and a further 4 to 5 months on concrete tanks. Only James Suckling has released his notes so far but we expect more great scores to come soon.
