2018 | Bibi Graetz | Testamatta Bianco

Closed and concentrated, this 100% Ansonica white wine delicately presents stoney and mineral flavors of baked apples; hints of chocolate; and fresh, full-bodied toasted oak with an intense finish with a hint of smoke.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: This wine is really quite terrific, and with 6,500 bottles made, it is easier to find (and more affordable) than Bibi Graetz's new single-vineyard expression of Ansonica, Colore Bianco. The 2018 Testamatta Bianco Isola del Giglio sees fruit blended from three bigger vineyard sites on Giglio Island and some smaller ones as well (Vigneto del Corvo, Scopeto, Ulivello, Radice and Le Grotte). In contrast to the Colore Bianco that revealed more consistency, the two bottles I sampled of this wine (one opened in the morning and one in the afternoon) showed very different results between them. The morning bottle was more fleshy and ample, while the just-opened bottle offered very linear notes of citrus, apple and white peach. Some of the grapes are harvested early, in order to maintain that total acidity, and used as a blending agent with the rest of the wine. Green harvesting is not practiced here, as each vine is left on its own to ripen. Bibi Graetz tells me that the 2018 vintage was much easier and gave more satisfaction compared to the difficult 2017 growing season. Of course, like any white wine from the Tuscan Coast, you get a distinctive layer of sea salt on the close—in this case, mixed in with some freshly milled white pepper.

• Wine Spectator: Intense, featuring a creamy texture, saturated with peach, apple, lemon and baking spice flavors. This is underscored by bracing acidity, and the finish fades gracefully, evoking a gentle seashore note. Shows terrific balance, texture and length. Decant. Drink now through 2024. 480 cases made, 150 cases imported.

Producer Information

Bibi Graetz is a Tuscan wine producer based in Fiesole, in the hills northeast of Florence. The company is particularly known for its flagship wine Testamatta ('Crazy Head'), an IGT Toscana produced from Sangiovese. The estate took its modern shape in the mid 1990s when Bibi Graetz began taking an interest in the family vineyard, which until then was largely producing wine for family consumption. By 2001, Graetz had moved towards a more quality-oriented outlook, and began scouting out additional vineyard parcels in the area to rent. The estate now has approximately 30 hectares (75 acres) of vines that are divided into small, organically farmed plots. Graetz makes a range of IGT Toscana wines under the Testamatta name. This includes Colore, a blend of Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino, and Soffocone di Vincigliata, a single-vineyard wine that has gained notoriety for its name, which is local slang for a particular sex act. Several white wines are also made at the estate. These include Bugia, an IGT Toscana made from old vine Ansonica and fermented partly in barrique prior to six months of aging.

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