Castello Fonterutoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG

Name: Castello di Fonterutoli Castello Fonterutoli Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG
Brand: Castello di Fonterutoli
SKU: WRW3064BN

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SKU:WRW3064BN

WA95

JS95

WE94

WS93

Iconic

DOCG, Chianti Classico.

From our sommelier team

Researched by our team from producer and independent sources — not supplied by the seller.

Castello Fonterutoli is the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG that the Mazzei family presents as the wine expressing the essence of the Castello di Fonterutoli estate, and the producer describes it as a forerunner, from 1995, of the Gran Selezione category later created in 2014.

It is distinct from the estate's straight Chianti Classico and from its other Gran Selezione bottlings. Recent technical sheets give the wine as 100% Sangiovese drawn from six clones plus eight massal selections made on the estate. The fruit comes from the

best estate parcels in the commune of Castellina in Chianti, in the Fonterutoli locality, at about 470 metres above sea level with south and south-west exposure, on soils the producer describes as alberese and limestone, extremely rich in stony texture.

Vines are 25 to 35 years old, trained to spurred cordon and Guyot at 5,800 to 7,500 plants per hectare, and picked by hand. Fermentation takes place in truncated-cone stainless steel vats with maceration of 15 to 16 days, after which the wine matures 18 months in 500-litre French oak barrels, half of them new, and is finished four months in concrete tanks. The producer puts ageing potential beyond 20 years.

Producer history

Castello di Fonterutoli is the Mazzei family estate in the hamlet of Fonterutoli, a frazione of Castellina in Chianti about 5 km from the town and 20 km from Siena, in the province of Siena. The hamlet has belonged to the Mazzei family since 1435, and the family describes more than six centuries of winemaking passed from one generation to the next, branding its magazine M1435 after that date.

The family traces its line to Ser Lapo Mazzei, a Florentine notary cited in connection with evidence of a wine called Chianti being traded in 1398; the Chianti Classico consortium independently records that the first notarial document referring to the wine of the zone as Chianti dates to 1398.

A later Lapo Mazzei served as president of the Chianti Classico consortium from 1974 to 1994. Today the brothers Filippo and Francesco Mazzei are managing directors, Filippo driving quality and market development and Francesco business development, work that led to the acquisition of the Belguardo estate in Maremma in 1997 and Zisola in Sicily in 2003.

Giovanni Mazzei, Filippo's eldest son, is export director; Lapo Mazzei leads retail and direct business; and Agnese Mazzei, an architect, designed the Fonterutoli cellar.

Signature pairings

Peposo, Tuscan black-pepper beef stew
Slow-braised beef gives the gelatine and fat that soften Sangiovese's fine tannin, and the coarse black pepper picks up the savoury, iron-edged side of the wine rather than fighting it.
Thai stir-fried holy basil with minced pork, chilli held back (ผัดกะเพราหมูสับ (ไม่เผ็ด))
Holy basil's peppery, herbal lift runs parallel to the dried-herb register of mature Sangiovese, and the soy-and-fish-sauce salt tames the tannin. Milder preparations suit it best: chilli heat plus 14.5% alcohol turns the finish hard.
Crostini with chicken liver pâté
The classic Chianti opener: liver's mineral, faintly bitter edge meets Sangiovese's iron note, and the wine's acidity scours the richness between bites.

About this bottle

Product information compiled from producer, importer and reference sources.

Sangiovese-led Chianti Classico Gran Selezione with red cherry, violet, and earthy complexity—elegant Tuscan structure.

Castello di Fonterutoli's Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is a classically structured Tuscan red built on 92% Sangiovese, with supporting Malvasia Nera and Colorino. The 2018 vintage expresses the primary character of ripe red cherry and plum, framed by violet florality and herbaceous undertones.

Secondary oak integration is restrained, allowing the wine's natural spice and herb profile to emerge. Tertiary development brings earthy minerality and tobacco notes, typical of well-aged Sangiovese in the Classico zone. Medium-full body and balanced tannin structure make this wine food-friendly across a range of Italian and Mediterranean dishes.