Francesco Mazzei

Beginnings

The estate itself provides the frame. Francesco Mazzei’s career history includes work at Mazzei (Castello di Fonterutoli) and the role of estate director, keeping the property—not an outside narrative—at the center of his formation. In that setting, the estate’s rhythms, the demands of the cellar, and the slow building of judgment became part of the same discipline. The specialty that defines the work is Sangiovese and winemaking. The grape can carry color, perfume, structure, and site with unusual sensitivity, and Mazzei has approached it through choices aimed at aromatic richness, balance, and complexity. The style is built rather than announced, with precision used as a way to sharpen expression.

The Rise

The method is legible in the cellar. At the estate, the wines are produced with low-impact, gravity-fed vinification, moving wine with minimal mechanical force and preserving calm in the making. Parcel-by-parcel fermentation adds another level of exactness, keeping vineyard material separate so differences can be understood before blending decisions are made. The philosophy treats nuance as something to be protected rather than flattened. Sustainable viticulture is also part of the work, specifically with the goal of protecting the local microbiome. That places soil life and vineyard health in the same discussion as cellar technique and finished texture. Mazzei’s focus points to a broad definition of quality, one where the invisible work carries as much weight as the visible finish. Speaking about color and style, Mazzei has allowed for the excesses of a moment without disowning the reasons behind it: “Yes, perhaps we overdid it a little with the intensity of color, but keep in mind that ten years ago ruby-red wines seemed to be going the way of the saber-toothed tiger.”

Today

The signature work includes Siepi, a precious cuvée of Sangiovese and Merlot that has been described as one of the wines that changed Italy’s wine style. That standing sits alongside the estate discipline that shapes the broader identity: clarity, tension, and the expressive possibilities of the grape. Two other names sharpen the view of the work there: Concerto and Ser Lapo Wine. Together, they place Mazzei’s craft inside a fixed set of concerns—Sangiovese, winemaking, balance, complexity, innovation, and a sustainable reading of Castellina in Chianti. In this frame, those ideas become texture, color, and the quiet authority of wines that know where they come from.

Signature

Francesco's signature wines include Siepi, Concerto, and Ser Lapo Wine.

In Their Words “Yes, perhaps we overdid it a little with the intensity of color, but keep in mind that ten years ago ruby-red wines seemed to be going the way of the saber-toothed tiger.”