2018 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Toscana Rosso IGT

DEC100 Finely textured, with a nuanced perfume that fills the glass and takes you to the intense underbrush of Tuscany. Succulent and yet savoury, this has a lilting freshness that is overlaid with ripe berry fruits, sage and white pepper spice, and clear minerality in terms of its scraping texture that makes your mouth water on the finish. Feels light and sculpted and yet has an intensity that skewers you to the spot. This is a great wine, with scope and imagination that doesn’t want to let you go. Genuinely stands out among the wines of this tasting, and these are a fine array of wines. As with Colore, Bibi Graetz selects only old vines, the youngest 50 years old from five different vineyard sites across Tuscany, all farmed organically. Fermentations in open 225l barrels with natural yeasts and manual punch downs. Drinking Window 2024 – 2045 
JS97Very subtle aromas of cherries, bark, black truffles and flowers. Hints of crushed stones. It’s full-bodied, yet very tight and solid with a very tight, minerally structure. Very long and intense. Racy and bright at the end. Powerful, orange-peel and citrus-fruit undertones. Salty and minerally. This needs time to develop in the bottle. Extremely structured. A wine not to touch until after 2023.

Bibi Graetz, a respected artist born of Italian and Norwegian parents, started Testmatta (meaning “hot head” in Italian) in the late 90’s just outside of Florence in the renaissance town of Fiesole. At the time his family was faced with losing the lease contracts on some untended old Sangiovese vines that surround his home at the Castello de Vincigliata, or to take the time to recover the vineyard and produce wines. Naturally Bibi saw an artistic opportunity, and chose to begin production with his first vintage in 2000. 

Bibi is known for his artwork throughout Europe, and each label is adorned with his personal work. 

Testamatta Toscana is his Super Tuscan offering, though breaking a bit with new tradition for Super Tuscans, this wine is 100% Sangiovese. Bibi wanted to see what could be done with Sangiovese with judicious use of new French oak, and the result is the creation of a cult classic. Bibi’s Testamatta Toscana IGT will lay down for quite some time.

Fermentation takes place in open top barrels of 225 liters with 6-8 manual punch-downs per day. 80 year-old vineyards on galestro and clay with Guyot and Goblet training systems. 100% Sangiovese