Robert Parker: 94
This wine was born in 1981 (as one of the first so-called super Tuscan wines), although it is never featured prominently among the other popular protagonists in the wide portfolio offered by the Mazzei family. The 2013 Concerto di Fonterutoli is a Toscana IGT blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon that is aged in French oak for 18 months. The results are beautiful and shapely with dark layers of blackberry, spice, tobacco and dried cherry. Vines are planted in limestone and sandstone soils.
The Mazzei brothers at Castello di Fonterutoli have some exciting news this year. They have released the IGT Toscana 2013 Concerto once again. This celebrated "Super Tuscan" blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon was first introduced in 1981, but production stopped in 1994. The Mazzei brothers tell me they felt renewed confidence in releasing a wine of this caliber thanks to a better understanding of their comprehensive vineyard potential and the completion of their state-of-the-art winery a few years back. The Castello di Fonterutoli property includes more than 100 different vineyard parcels in the Chianti Classico area that range from 200 to 550 meters in altitude. This enormous patrimony affords increased flexibility when it comes to fruit selection and blending potential.