2018 | Bibi Graetz | Testamatta

The elegance of Sangiovese variety is always the main character of Testamatta wine. This vintage shows how Sangiovese can be fresh, fruity on one hand, elegant, long and persistent on the other. 2018 is rich of blackberries and blueberries, earthy hints and light mineral undertone. It has a pronounced intensity accompanied by silky and important tannins that make the wine long and persistent. This Testamatta is persistent and rich of finesse, one of the greatest they have ever made.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2018 Testamatta shows elegant Sangiovese purity and transparency, starting with delicate wild berry and blueberry tones and finishing long with pretty accents of crushed limestone and a touch of campfire ash. In the glass, the wine is radiant and vivid with a luminous ruby or garnet color. Oak use is reduced to a bare minimum, with barrels that are up to their 16th year of use. "The older they are, the better," Bibi explains. As the wine opens in the glass, it presents pretty lilac and violet. This wine represents a blend of fruit from various sites (all with old vines that are farmed organically) across the region of Tuscany. The northern-most sites close to Florence tend to add the floral notes that are so characteristic of this cool vintage (which saw a bit more rain than average and extra work in the vineyards to kept these vines healthy). I visited the vineyards with Bibi in 2018 and remember how beautiful the grapes appeared on the vines. Much of the fruit used here comes from the Vigna del Cancello in Casciano del Murlo, which is midway between Siena and Montalcino. These southern sites give the wine its backbone and tannins. Bibi Graetz tells me that he struggled to create the blend for this 60,000-bottle release. He decided on a final blend, only to change his mind and re-blend two and a half months later. His second stab was specifically aimed at capturing finesse and softening the wine's tannic imprint. Indeed, the wine ultimately offers more in length (with fresh fruit flavors and bright acidity) than it does in power or mid-palate. The finish is silky, long and very fine.

• James Suckling: Very 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.

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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