2016 | Bibi Graetz | Testamatta

2016 is so surprising in the glass, with a lot a different layers, starting from the red fruit, back tea and earth aromas and continuing with tobacco, black cherry and leather. This Testamatta has so much personality!

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: This wine will be released in March 2019. The 2016 Testamatta represents a blend of fruit from old vines spread across the various vineyard holdings farmed by Bibi Graetz in both the Siena and Firenze provinces of Tuscany. These holdings include plots in Vincigliata (home base to Bibi Graetz and his family just outside of Florence), Lamole, Londa, Montefili and Siena. Many of the vines used here are 80 years old or more, and each site represents a cultural and enological patrimony that was specifically selected for its individual character or uniqueness. There is an unescapable metaphor in the many primary colors that blend or bleed into each other to form a single piece of art that is depicted on the front label of this handsome bottle. Testamatta reaches impeccable harmony in similar fashion. I tasted this wine on three separate occasions and was blown away each time. There is a seductively wild side to the wine that comes forth with chiseled intensity. Dark fruit, spice, tar, licorice and toasted spice make for a beautifully elegant bouquet. The mouthfeel remains mid-weight in approach, with polished tannins and a tightly knit texture that should relax and grow in volume as the wine evolves in the bottle.

• James Suckling: A very beautiful and thoughtful Testamatta with aromas of earth, terra cotta, black tea, and lavender. Full-bodied, very layered and extremely polished with superb, soft tannins. Racy and very long. Muscular and formed but very, very balanced. Gorgeous richness and depth. Shows balance and wonder.

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 IGT Toscana red wines Testamatta ('Crazy Head') and Colore produced from Sangiovese. However, the equivalent white wines from Ansonica are earning increasing attention. The estate's history dates back to the mid 1990s when Bibi Graetz began taking an interest in the family vineyard, which until then was largely producing wine for family consumption. The Bibi Graetz winery was formed in 2000. In the new millenium Bibi began scouting out additional vineyard parcels in the area to rent. The estate entered the 2020s working with approximately 30 hectares (75 acres) of vines that are divided into small, organically farmed plots. The winery is located in the main square of Fiesole and also home to Bibi and his family. The vineyard holdings are about to be dramatically extended, however. In 2020, 90 hectares (222 acres) of land right behind the winery was acquired. New vineyards have been planted on this property. Bibi grew up in a family of artists and himself studied at the Accademie d'Arte in Florence. Labels feature his colorful original artwork. See also Tom Hyland's 2023 interview with Bibi Graetz.

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