Ep. 143 Monty Waldin interviews Filippo Mazzei (Mazzei Wineries) | Discover Italian Regions: Tuscany / Toscana

Italian wine podcast. Chinching with Italian wine people. Hello. This is the Italian wine podcast with me to order my guest today is Felipon Matze from the Matze winery in Canti Classic. Welcome to Deepo. Welcome to Deepo. I'm very happy to be here. Yeah. We're very happy that you are now. You are well, your company. It's a family company, Matze, right? Yeah. A very old family company. We are in Fontrutally, our main place in the Canti Glasgow since fourteen thirty five. Well, that's, that's a, that's a NSA. It's Castello de fonterutle. Right. Okay. And which village in Cantis, and in which comune? Which comune is castelina in Cant? Five, five kilometer south of Casilene Canti on the old Cantigiana road. Okay. So in the middle of the Canti zone or on the left hand side, the right hand side? It's more on the western side. Okay. And what is Southwest. Let's see. Okay. So is that a little bit cooler that side? It was a little bit warmer. It's, in my opinion warmer. Because our our probably didn't start from two fifty meters, still a six hundred meter boost level, but it's southwest and west, looking. And I think it's one of them quite, warm place. So there's a lot of exciting in Kianti Classic at the moment. There's the Grandceletteioni, which is a new category. Do you make a Grandceletteioni? What is a Grandceletteioni? Listen, we made the Grandceletteioni. We were one of the few one that pushed for seventeen years to have an eye wine on the appalachian. And at the end, we succeed. And on two thousand fourteen, we have the the first, the fourteen, not the the first year of production. No. No. This year of production. It was the first, the lunch of the grandson of cancer. We did master wine in Florence. We're very great to thank. So I'm very proud about the red so let's see on it. So the grand, sir, the main thing is that the grapes absolutely one hundred percent must be grown by the owner of the winery. There must be a state you can't buy in grapes, you can't buy in wine. Yeah. That seems really if you want, no, because, the pea consumer thinks that the wines are made for making wine and, and they're coming from the vineyard. But all over the world, people doesn't know there's a lot of Negos wine. And I think this is a point very important for us that we can, keep the relationship with with your best winery. So, I mean, how many good answer that's the only that you make? We make just one for the moment. And, maybe if you are going on a differentiation of the, what do you call the Minceona Juni we're awesome because the the the the the the property is split on three different community. Alright. Right. And Castelina. Of course, Castelina is the major part. Okay. And then so how does that work in terms of blending and labeling of the wine? Right now, do you consider it sooner as a started the our main wine, it is in Graceli from Terutaly started in nineteen ninety five. And that time, that was San Giovanni plus a little part on a little portion of cabernet sauvignon, that growing the, say, the knowledge and growing the, the quality of the vines planted. Currently, we have thirty six different clones of sangiovese in all of the property. We progress very much. And right now, as we don't have a recipe. So it's more than ninety percent, or average more than ninety percent San Diego is plus a little touch of colorena and melazian either. Right. So you've you've moved back to a hundred percent task combined, basically. We're tagging grip varietal wine as instead of having the French case. I mean, do you see do you think consumers care about these things, or do you think they just wanna have a good one at a good price? No. It don't. We are not doing this for for the consumer. We are knowing we are doing this because, I think rank to go back in our rules is much better. So we prefer the wines, and I think really for the consumer is not so important. Now everybody are talking about this. But at the end, when you have your wine and glass, you don't care if you have five percent more or less a one in a certain variety. Of course, Sanjay is the major part. What's your main market for your county classico? Your county wines in general? In general, the main market is still America. Right. That, with other, growing, fast growing market, the Canadian market, for example, Switzerland, Japan, Russia is coming step by step back, but we'll Right? And, and the effect is, the county classical finally is coming back. Yep. I agree with you totally. It's, it's gonna be bang on trend again soon. So tell me about your other estate. You have another state in Tuscany called Belguardo, which means beautiful, look, beautiful view. Where is that? View to view. Yeah. Belguardo, it's, we acquired this this property in nineteen ninety seven, one that was the, you know, the Moreno dream. So it's a morally in it's in Scottsano. It's, facing the the sea, fifteen kilometers from the seaside. Five hundred fifty meters above sea level. It's a very nice place. And there, we invest that, we found some more elena invested a lot more elena. So more elena is the local name for the Sanjay. Yes. Right. We had different loans there of Sanjay, and, we did also some investment in, Vermontino. Right. Sura Cabernet sauvignonica Vernet Frank. And, we are very happy about the results, of the Marima knowing that it's not easy at all because to Morilino in the world was unknown. My even words. So Maroma, this is a word for the Tuscon coast. Yeah. It's a Tuscon. Southern Tuscon coast. It's a very traditional area, isn't it? It's a very traditional area with the vineyard. Not very, very much. No. Dominic doesn't really dominate. No. I'm sorry. No. He's talking about really minority in respect, you know, other task and, places. I think Moreno, we still work on Muralino, but it's more and more difficult because you have many producer that have a price. Really, it's, low prices. It's low prices. Do you think maybe they could look at changing the rules for the Muralino like they've done or creating an extra category like they've done in Canti classic I saw a good answer to only for Modalina, which is maybe just hundred percent native grape varieties? Or I think it's difficult because there is no, you know, in the Canticlass code, that there was a reason to do this. Reason is very simple. There was, sample user that that DHL, a very high-hand anti classical, and you wanna go out of the reserve. It's, it might say, it it kind of different category. So that's the supertask concern. Right. Right. More and supertask insight. In Marlena, you don't have this and to find a category risk to a new category to fifty states, an empty I mean, it's, maybe it's a bit difficult. And your main market for your Morolino wines, you want from Wisconsin? Italy, Germany, Austria, more or less continental Europe. So, though, do they see these wines as I everyday wines that keep you, you know, warm you up on a cold day. Is that an oversimplification? See, we we are doing just a reserve, but we are not doing regular regular, regular, more lean. So, I mean, maybe it's a little bit upscale of this, but it's the one you can enjoy, that is, as an to visit us very, very well. That's very well matching with other. So if we generalize, would you say that the more the sangiovese from Ganzano is a little bit, lighter and softer compared to your wines from No, I don't think so. I think it's, it's more wild. If you were, say, explain a little bit, there is a lot of concentration. Right? It's a little bit more aggressive, you know. Okay. A little bit more zippy. We it's in it. Right. Okay. So your final minister is in Sicily. Is it how do you pronounce it? Zizola or Zizola? Zizola. Zizola. And that was the name when you bought it or did you create a name? No. We don't know exactly what that means. What that means. We're think it's coming from the, you know, you are having influence, you know, the the Azid's means, magnificent. So maybe or we would like to to think that it's like this. So that is in Natto. Yes. Whereabouts is that in Sicily? In the province of Syracusa or Syracuse? Where is that? Southwest? It's South southeastern part of Sicily where we have after after twenty kilometers is the end of the of the island. So we are really no deep southeast. Okay. And you have this in school, is the name of a house with a closed with a courtyard insides. And and and all around the house, there is a, it is, we have a guest, and all around is the cellar, is the tasting room, is the battery room, is everything inside this. So it's very little. It's a twenty one actor of of of of vineyard. So what color is the stone in the building? Is it like a white stone or a yellow stone? They are calcare, wide with the yellow stone. Okay. Yeah. And when you say it was like enclosed, were there animals there beforehand? Do they people keep animals? No. Why would they close it then? No. They close it because, they told us that more powerful, personal defense to be to make sure of everyone. Okay. Against marauding people trying to get the line. Right? Okay. So how big is theirs is Mattsai estate in Sicily. It's fifty eight, fifty three hectares. And, with twenty one, twenty two on the vineyard. The soil is all white, white calcare, and we grow the vineyard all at very low. So all booster. So we kept the same digital system. The traditional system. Try farmed or irrigated? No. It's irrigated. You can't do anything with sub irrigation. So very little just when it's needed, but you need to have an irrigation. So what are your are your main wines then from there? It's one hundred percent erudawala. Okay. Zizora, and then a selection or a vineer selection called, the selection of the two best vineer, and erudawala. Plus, we do a little we do some, a little white wine made by Green Lucarato. It's doing very well, but I mean, our major, let's say, passion isn't it allowed. It's it's more or less the same. We're doing tasks. You know, we work in Sanjuviso scanning here. We work on level. So dot piazza means double zed? Yes. Double zed. So what hang on with the double, because I might say with two zed in? Yeah. This might say two zed and then, because the double of the Ziesola has everything, double, you know. Brilliant. How far away are you from the coast. Flying distance maybe three kilometers. Oh, very close. Yeah. Do you get a salty taste in the wine? No. Not really. This part of the onion side, you don't have this, because sometimes it's a big risk. That's, we have a lot of minerality, may, maybe from, from also from from the coast and the kind of the soil, but salty not really much. You are the first person that's ever been honest with us actually, you know, we've got a vineyard in the sea in it. Aren't salty. Everybody's, yeah, they're really salty, minerality, all this kind of stuff. Blah blah blah. I mean, that was a great great answer. I mean, you can change if you want to. Hey, we can we can cut this. We can edit it. It's not live. So, great. Felipo, just wanna say thanks very much for coming in telling us about Mad we have feet in three fantastic regions, getting to Glasgow, Sicily and also the Marima, the Tuscan Coast, the Southern Tuscan Coast. I don't know what else to say. It was a great interview. Thanks very much. Thank you to give me this great opportunity, and I'm very happy to do it. Come and see you in Cisliano. Great. I'm also in Montecino. So I'm close to Morellino, Scantino. Cantell Latano. At the end, you know, a lot of people are, love to come in Sicily because they're, I mean, it's a it's a new, it's a new frontier and it's a very nice place. And you I think probably some of the best food in Italy. Would you get on with that? Yes. I agree. I agree. And they know what we have there. It is, a kind of, tasting of the of the of the products are, as I remember when I was young. Really, by the sense, pasty, you know, not really flavors, every flavor, right? I forgot that. Yeah. Because that's because they haven't spooled their landscape, isn't it? In my opinion, yes. In my opinion, yes, and that because they they love. That's, you know, everyone I'd love to have his own. They don't pomodori, their own, fruit, vegetables. Yeah. We buy, lemons and oranges shipped up from, sicily, organic oranges at, at Christmas. And, we've had the last delivery was in, like, the end of anyway, but all these old heritage varieties, like, I don't know what you're saying, Italian, you know, these these oranges are very rough skinned and slightly strange. The vanilla ones. They're The black ones, you know, it's more of, sanguinello, this kind of sanguinello. I have sixteen. I kept in the property sixteen hectares all of, of, organ trees and lemon trees and, and, and grapefruit. I'm definitely gonna come and see. I love a spring water like a squeeze producer the morning because it sets you up for the day. Felipo, Matt say thanks very much for coming in today. Telling is about your three estates across Italy. It's been a real pleasure to talk to you. Very cultivated man and a great, very articulate man. And, it's very interesting to see about just talk about this, the granularity only thing where, I I have to be honest, I'm I'm a little bit fifty. I think it's a good idea and in some ways, I think maybe it could have just been native grape varieties, I don't know, but then the market is very powerful. I like the idea that they have to be, hundred percent estate grown. Yeah. But it's a great region. I'm not I'm not necessarily sure that was the best way, but that's just my opinion. But, you know, if I can, reply a little bit. Yeah. Here you go. That's nothing really special on the ground that it's on there. But the factors that we have more than hundred producers of a wine in. I got to say, make the markets better in the sand that is in our hands. Yeah. There's an aspirational and element there. Then in my opinion, everyone, I'm I'm from for freedom. So I don't, have would like to have more strict rule. This is not our heritage. It's not our tradition. We are not in Brellie Montacchino while we have a hundred percent Sanjay. Everyone can do, I mean, India about the rules of the police, respect, if we remove the permission. And I think, and I think that it's important to, you know, to to to make your your best one, you know, to to to dream a little bit about this. Yeah. Sure. Aspirational, as you said. Everybody was against the, you know, and now step by step there. Yeah. It's the only one you're making. Sure. It's not. It's still a young denomination. Yeah. There's plenty of time. Felipa might say thanks very much for coming in today. Tening us about your wineries across Italy and Sicily and Sanzano and the mar, Marima, some and in Canti Glasgow between Florence and Siena. It's been great talking to you. Follow Italian wine podcast on Facebook and Instagram.