Italy’s New Great Cult Wine Is Ipsus’s Groundbreaking Chianti

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While other Tuscan winemakers are trying to make a splash towards international varieties and IGT classifications, Giovanni Mazzi wanted to stay true to Chianti Classico. With 600 years of family winemaking history behind it, he believes the appellation’s wines can be simultaneously refined and intense while remaining deeply rooted in its terroir. He has done just that. Mazzi has blazed his own trail by creating IPSUS, a 100 percent Sangiovese Chianti Classico Gran Selezian. Within its first few vintages, it has created one of Italy’s leading wines, calling on the tradition of its ancestors while clearing the way for the region’s future.

The Mazzei family has deep roots in Chianti: the earliest historical reference to the Chianti wine region is in a letter written by one of its ancestors, Sir Lapu Mazzei, in which, in December 1398, the region was officially recognized by the Grand Duke Cosimo III de’ Medici. For more than 600 years, the Mazzees have owned Castello di Fonterottoli, whose high-altitude Sangiovese vineyards are right at the heart of Chianti Classico. When Mazzi and his father, Filippo, CEO of Marchesi Mazzi Winery, first acquired the Il Caguieu estate in 2006, they weren’t thinking of single-vineyard wines. “Over time, as we deepened our understanding of the site’s potential, the vision evolved to develop a series that could fully express this unique terroir.” Rob Report. “Ipsus was born out of this gradual realization.”

From the first vintage in 2015, which was released in 2020, IPSUS caught the eye of critics and collectors alike. Prague-based collector Jakub Kolin was introduced to it through his membership in the Fun Wine Club, and was excited to be part of “a new ultra-premium Chianti Classico wine success story.” He counts 36 bottles from all six IPSUs vintages among his 2,000 bottles from Europe and South America, including producers such as Franco Contino, Diego Precinda, and Baron Ricasoli. Robert Smolens, a US-based collector who splits his time between Connecticut and Florida, has been involved since the 2015 vintage, though having recently finished his last bottle, he currently only has the last five vintages in his cellar, including some magnums. With a collection that runs about 60 percent Italian, when he first heard about the new wine, he says, “Ipsis felt like it would be the ultimate expression of Sangiovese, so I wasn’t interested. I wasn’t disappointed.”

Maze explains that Il Caggio offers a combination of ideal factors for Sangiovese, including an altitude between 1,050 and 1,150 feet, which ensures balanced ripening, and deep and well-drained clay, schist, and calcareous marl soil with a type of sandstone that accelerates intense mineralization. Most importantly, he says, the 16-acre enclave offers excellent visibility and natural ventilation. “These elements combine to create optimal conditions for purity, finesse and aromatic health.” When the Mazzees acquired the estate in 2006, it already had mature vines, over 30 years old, and in 2008 part of the vineyard was replanted to improve clonal selection and vineyard layout while maintaining the historic core of the site.

“Single-site wine can be the purest expression of terroir,” says Derek Goodman, sommelier and wine director at Camille in Orlando. Rob Report. After visiting Il Kagyu, he added, “I can see the intention, the sense of place, everything coming together.” Knowing that many of his clients aren’t familiar with high-end luxury Sangiovese that isn’t Brunello or IGT Super Tuscan, he describes it to curious diners as “a unicorn: a unique expression of Sangiovese that I’ve never experienced.” He also characterizes IPSUs as “a wine” that will change the way you think about the region and the grape. “This was certainly the intention of Mazzi, who believes that Chianti Classico’s image has been tarnished by mass, low-end winemaking. He wants to create an iconic wine to help change the perception of the region.

Dividing the vineyard into individual plots allows for micro-vinification, where each parcel is harvested separately based on soil, exposure and vine age. “This precision approach makes it possible to select only the best lots for IPSUs, to express every range of purity, complexity, and terroir,” says Maze. He describes IL Kagio as a living ecosystem in which the vineyard and the entire estate vineyard are managed as part of a wider natural environment that promotes biodiversity and preserves wildlife corridors. “The goal is to maintain a balanced ecosystem in which the vineyard, soil, forest, and surrounding flora and fauna coexist and reinforce each other.”

The dahlias are farmed using organic principles, but Mazavi’s approach goes beyond standard certification to increase soil vitality and root depth while reducing stress on the vines. “We test innovative techniques such as soil regeneration methods, natural cover crops and alternative treatments to chemical inputs,” he says. “The result is healthier fruit, more consistent ripening, and wines that reflect the more pronounced, refreshing and wholesome character of IL Caggio.” Interpreted as a near-perfect climate that allowed extended, even ripening to produce grapes with exceptional concentration, aromatics and structural balance, IPSUS 2021 was fermented in small lots, with each block treated separately. Aging took place in a combination of large oak barrels, small taneaux, and ceramic vats to balance purity, texture, and freshness.

Deep ruby ​​in the glass, IL CAGGIO IPSUS 2021 has a nose of black cherry, crushed violet petal, candied orange peel, and a hint of pencil lead. Plush tannins and a sensational vein of acidity are wound around Luxardo cherry, blackberry, lavender and clove flavors. After the last sip, soft closing notes of thyme and river rock on the tongue and gums. Only 6,000 bottles were made of this living testament to the historic qualities of well-crafted Chianti.

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