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More wines available from Marchesi Mazzei
750ml
Bottle:
$25.90
Black cherry, bark and earth on the nose with some dark-mushroom character. It’s full-bodied with very soft tannins...
750ml
Bottle:
$16.74
$18.60
A juicy red marked by bright cherry and raspberry fruit. Open and easy, with light tannins lining the moderately long...
Pre-Arrival
Marchesi Mazzei Toscana Siepi 2004
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$86.28
There's just something about this 50-50 Sangiovese-Merlot blend that makes it absolutely irresistible. The fullness,...
Pre-Arrival
Marchesi Mazzei Toscana Siepi 2012
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$69.95
A very rich, layered Siepi with lots of ripe plums and cherries and just a hint of jam. Some chocolate and a whiff of...
Pre-Arrival
Marchesi Mazzei Toscana Siepi 2013
750ml - 1 Bottle
Bottle:
$86.95
This is a wonderful follow-up to the superb 2012. Aromas are so intriguing with raspberry, blackberry and light...
More Details
Winery
Marchesi Mazzei
Vintage: 2012
2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in.
The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year.
Varietal: Nero D'avola
Sicily is one of the world's most ideal grape growing regions, as it benefits from all the beauty and heat of a Mediterranean climate, and has mineral rich volcanic soils perfect for viticulture. One of the key varietals grown in Sicily is the Nero d'Avola, an indigenous grape which has become a highly important fruit for the Italian wine culture. In recent years, it has had plenty of success in various New World countries, as it thrives in hot and arid conditions and produces big, juicy, fruit-forward wines with plenty of pepper and spice notes. In Sicily, the Nero d'Avola grape is often used in the production of fortified wines such as Marsala, but it is most well loved in the still wines made from it, as they tend to be packed full of excellent flavors ideal for pairing with a range of foods.
Region: Sicily
The island of Sicily is one of those wine regions which seems to be designed for the production of quality wines. Not only does it have extremely fertile soils, helped by volcanic activity of such peaks as Etna, but the climate is absolutely ideal for the ripening of beautiful grape varietals, with almost year-round sunshine and cooling sea breezes. Sicily has been using such factors for growing grapevines for thousands of years, and is a truly ancient wine region steeped in tradition. Wineries on the island make a wide variety of wines, which are much loved for their ability to express plenty of exciting fruit flavors and sunny, tempting aromas, but Sicily is most well known for the dessert and fortified wines based around the port town of Marsala.
Country: Italy
There are few countries in the world with a viticultural history as long or as illustrious as that claimed by Italy. Grapes were first being grown and cultivated on Italian soil several thousand years ago by the Greeks and the Pheonicians, who named Italy 'Oenotria' – the land of wines – so impressed were they with the climate and the suitability of the soil for wine production. Of course, it was the rise of the Roman Empire which had the most lasting influence on wine production in Italy, and their influence can still be felt today, as much of the riches of the empire came about through their enthusiasm for producing wines and exporting it to neighbouring countries. Since those times, a vast amount of Italian land has remained primarily for vine cultivation, and thousands of wineries can be found throughout the entire length and breadth of this beautiful country, drenched in Mediterranean sunshine and benefiting from the excellent fertile soils found there. Italy remains very much a 'land of wines', and one could not imagine this country, its landscape and culture, without it.