Celebrating its 25th anniversary in a special commemorative bottle, the 2017 Siepi is a beautifully rich ensemble of Sangiovese and Merlot. The hot and dry vintage has pushed both varieties to extra ripeness and darkness—the hallmarks of the vintage. The bouquet is articulate and intense with black fruit, dried blackberry, cherry, spice, earth and toasted almond. There is abundant richness on the nose, but the palate is actually shorter and more streamlined than expected. Siepi is an exceptional vineyard site perched on its own little plateau that is drenched in golden sunlight.
James Suckling (95)
A dense and rich red with lots of fruit and seamless tannins. Full and structured with loads of flesh. But this is fresh at the same time. A blend of 50% merlot and 50% sangiovese.
BOW (8.50)
Full bottle all of 1,500 g. Alcohol: 14.2%. Total acidity: 6.7 g/l. Frost reduced the crop and was followed by prolonged heat and drought which meant the Merlot had to be picked pretty early but they decided to delay the Sangiovese harvest until after heavy rain and lower temperatures in September. Harvest: hand-picked starting from 31 August (Merlot), 13 September (Sangiovese). Fermentation temperature: 26–28 °C. Period of maceration: 14 days (Merlot), 18 days (Sangiovese). Ageing: 18 months in small French oak barriques (Merlot) and tonneaux (Sangiovese), both 70% new. Then four months in concrete tanks before bottling in June 2019. Production: 29,500 bottles.
Vinous (96)
The 2017 Siepi is a total knock-out and one of the best recent vintages I can remember tasting. All the elements simply fall into place. Succulent dark cherry, spice, chocolate, leather and licorice build as the 2017 gains volume in the glass. Sangiovese and Merlot have rarely been so complementary. The 2017 is a gorgeous wine that offers plenty of the richness readers have become accustomed to over the years, but in a slightly less extracted style.
Jancis Robinson (17.50)
Deep crimson. Really very luscious nose in which it's possible to discern both Merlot and Sangiovese, which have already combined to produce a thoroughly satisfying whole. There's still quite a bit of tang and acidity on the finish but the tannins are more evolved than one might expect at this early stage so this is a really vibrant, appetising wine but probably not one of the longest-lived Siepis.
Falstaff (98)
Decanter (96)
2017 was infamous in much of Italy for its hot and dry conditions, and the vines here did not miss out. 'It was hotter in 2022,' says Giovanni Mazzei, 'but there was less hydric stress'. The balsamic stamp of so many other 2017s is also present here - the result of the vines shutting down in the extreme heat and actually preserving freshness. A complex and fragrant nose showcases tobacco leaf, earth, cocoa and petrichor alongside ripe black and blue fruits which also make themselves known on the palate. Super-fresh in the mouth, the plush fruit is supported by grainy cocoa tannins, with an intense balsamic streak of herbs and toasted fenugreek seeds. 29,500 bottles produced.
