Mazzei Chianti Classico Riserva Ser Lapo 2013
- Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2013 Mazzei Chianti Classico Riserva Ser Lapo is fresh, with aromas of berries, strong structure, and intense taste.
Pairs well with pasta with game sauce, stews, grilled red meats, mid-aged cheeses.
Blend: 90% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
Delicate, creamy nose with lovely red fruit, the palate is complex and structured with fresh crunchy fruit with hints of spice, tar and leather.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2013 Chianti Classico Riserva Ser Lapo is an excellent wine with gorgeous smoothness and soft tannins. This 90/10 blend of Sangiovese and Merlot shows the best of both grapes in their respective percentages. Production numbers are large - at 100,000 bottles - so you should have no problem locating this easy-to-drink and affordable red wine from beautiful Tuscany. Ser Lapo is dedicated to the Mazzei family ancestor who first mentioned a "Chianti" wine in the distant year of 1398.
Rating: 92+ -
James Suckling
A pretty yet fruit-forward nose of dark cherries, plum liqueur, pressed violets, black licorice, chocolate and some Christmas cake. A full, expansive palate that is lithe and agile with velvety tannins and refreshing acidity. Very elegant and refined.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Underbrush, grilled herb, roasted coffee bean and dark-skinned berry aromas unfold in the glass. The elegantly structured palate delivers red cherry, raspberry, sage, anise and clove framed in bright acidity and fine-grained tannins. Drink through 2020.
Other Vintages
2018-
Suckling
James - Vinous
-
Parker
Robert -
Wong
Wilfred
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
- Decanter
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine &
-
Suckling
James -
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
For 26 generations, the Mazzei family has been producing benchmark Italian wines from their historic Castello di Fonterutoli estate in Tuscany and more recently in the Maremma, Sicily and the Veneto. The passion, commitment and expertise that goes into these expressive wines is a reflection of the Mazzei’s spirit of innovation and respect for each property’s unique terroir.
Since the 1400’s the Mazzei’s have been producing wine; making it one of the oldest running Italian companies - of any kind! Their ancestry is closely woven not only into Tuscany’s winemaking history, but as well as to this venerated region’s political and cultural past. The notable merchant, Ser Lapo Mazzei, is credited for authoring the first official document mentioning “Chianti wine” (December 16, 1398). Years later, Philip Mazzei, winemaker, political thinker and friend of Thomas Jefferson, is credited for influencing another historic document, whose philosophical writings on equality of man served as inspiration for the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Four beautiful properties make up the Mazzei portfolio. Castello di Fonterutoli in historic Chianti Classico, Tuscany remains the historic home of Mazzei. An enthusiasm for discovery has led to the purchase of Belguardo in the Maremma, which borders the Tuscan coast and Zisola in Noto, Sicily. Giovanni Mazzei has recently taken over his family’s estate, Villa Marcello, in the Veneto, For six generations the Mazzei property at Castello di Fonterutoli has been family-owned and operated; which is also the case since the establishment of Belguardo, Zisola and Villa Marcello. Lapo Mazzei manages as Chairman, along with his sons Filippo and Francesco, both CEOs. The newest generation, Giovanni Mazzei, represents the 26th generation, poised to continue in the family’s footsteps of producing innovative and expressive wines from Central Tuscany, the Maremma, Sicily and the Veneto.
Beyond the usual suspects, there are hundreds of red grape varieties grown throughout the world. Some are indigenous specialties capable of producing excellent single varietal wines, while others are better suited for use as blending grapes. Each has its own distinct viticultural characteristics, as well as aroma and flavor profiles, offering much to be discovered by the curious wine lover. In particular, Portugal and Italy are known for having a multitude of unique varieties but they can really be found in any region.
One of the first wine regions anywhere to be officially recognized and delimited, Chianti Classico is today what was originally defined simply as Chianti. Already identified by the early 18th century as a superior zone, the official name of Chianti was proclaimed upon the area surrounding the townships of Castellina, Radda and Gaiole, just north of Siena, by Cosimo III, Grand Duke of Tuscany in an official decree in 1716.
However, by the 1930s the Italian government had appended this historic zone with additonal land in order to capitalize on the Chianti name. It wasn’t until 1996 that Chianti Classico became autonomous once again when the government granted a separate DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) to its borders. Ever since, Chianti Classico considers itself no longer a subzone of Chianti.
Many Classicos are today made of 100% Sangiovese but can include up to 20% of other approved varieties grown within the Classico borders. The best Classicos will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and be full-bodied with plenty of ripe fruit (plums, black cherry, blackberry). Also common among the best Classicos are expressive notes of cedar, dried herbs, fennel, balsamic or tobacco.