Drink Date: 2020 - 2035
Varietals: Sangiovese with a tiny component of Malvasia Ner
96 Points James Suckling
Lots of ripe fruit with walnuts, tile, dried berries and chocolate powder. Full-bodied, velvety and chewy. This is a very powerful and structured Chianti Classico that will rival many top Brunellos. Needs time to come completely together. Better after 2022.
 
93 Points Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Mazzei 2017 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello Fonterutoli is Sangiovese with a tiny component of Malvasia Nera. The wine is elegantly streamlined and subtle—in fact, more so than I would have expected from this largely opulent and exuberant vintage. The bouquet is both floral and fruity with wild berry, rose hip, lavender and cassis. These aromas are central to the Sangiovese playlist. This wine delivers on all the fundamental elements, although I feel that we got a little more depth and delineation in the previous, cooler-vintage release. The tannins are silky and elegant.
 
Winemaker Notes
From their perch high in the hills of Castellina in Chianti, Mazzei’s Castello di Fonterutoli produces some of the very finest wines in Italy. Their signature bottling is their Chianti Classico Gran Selezione. It’s crafted from the very best lots from the estate and aged longer in both barrel and bottle before release. Its stature and complexity match wines many times the price. With a 96-point score from Tuscan denizen James Suckling, the 2017 stands with and ABOVE giants of Chianti Classico—bottles like the $155 Volpaia and the $190 Querciabella—and even equals the $220+ Brunello from Biondi-Santi.