Il Caggio Ipsus masterclass at Decanter Italy Experience 2024

The Mazzei family has owned Castello di Fonterutoli, in the heart of today’s Chianti Classico zone, since 1435. Correspondence involving Ser Lapo Mazzei in 1398 includes a first-known mention of Chianti as a wine-growing area.

Centuries of Mazzei family winemaking skill are poured into one of Italy’s most exciting modern ‘cru’ wines, Ipsus, and this masterclass is a rare chance to taste the highly rated and exceptionally rare wine in the company of 25th-generation family member, Giovanni Mazzei.

Hear from Giovanni himself about his winemaking philosophy at the tiny Il Caggio estate in Castellina-in-Chianti – just up the hill from the main Mazzei winery – where the Ipsus project was born.

Sourced from a prized 6.5-hectare Sangiovese vineyard, Ipsus is bottled as a Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG: the pinnacle of the Chianti Classico quality pyramid.

Meticulous attention to detail, such as individual micro-vinification of 16 to 18 different plots, has yielded a wine with distinguished freshness and purity of fruit, capable of long ageing.

Early releases have received strong praise from wine experts, including masterclass co-host Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW, Regional Chair for Tuscany at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

Guests will taste all four vintages of Ipsus currently released on the market: 2015, the debut vintage, 2016, 2018 and 2019. Join us to taste a Tuscan wine legend-in-the-making.

Giovanni Mazzei is continuing the 600-year-old legacy of the family’s winemaking know-how at the place where everything started, Castello di Fonterutoli, and at the Il Caggio estate, home of Ipsus.

The eldest son of Filippo Mazzei, CEO of Marchesi Mazzei, Giovanni’s interest in wine started early, and from the age of 14, he was getting involved with winemaking in his family’s wineries.

While studying, Giovanni acted as brand manager for Marchesi Mazzei in the US. After a brief experience in Hong Kong, he has dedicated himself full-time to the family business. Giovanni has spearheaded the development of Ipsus as an expression of exceptional Sangiovese vines at Il Caggio.

Michelle Cherutti-Kowal MW is a dual Italian/Canadian citizen who left corporate life in Toronto and moved to London to pursue her passion for wine.

Today she is a highly respected and sought-after wine lecturer, having taught wine industry professionals since 2004 at WSET in London where she is a consultant tutor, specialising in Italy, France and the New World. She has authored articles on wines, wine regions and wine-related events in trade publications and WSET journals.

Utilising her specialist knowledge of wine regions, Cherutti-Kowal is a consultant to restaurants and wineries, and also acts as an ambassador for trade bodies.

MASTERCLASS 2: IL CAGGIO IPSUS

ESSENTIAL INFO:

Il Caggio's Ipsus: A Tuscan wine legend-in-the-making

HOST: GIOVANNI MAZZEI

CO-HOST: MICHELLE CHERUTTI-KOWAL MW