2005 | Bibi Graetz | Colore

Colore is Bibi Graetz`s Gran Vin, from very old vineyards of Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino. On average, only 1,800 bottles per year are produced of this wine. 2005 was a cooler vintage and so the wine shows a lovely finesse, delicacy and balance. Strawberry, mint and smoke combine to make a particularly refined Colore.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: In 2005 Colore was made from the three best barrels in the cellar, consisting of one each Sangiovese, Colorino and Canaiolo. Yields were a miniscule 12 hectoliters per hectare. The wine possesses perfumed aromatics that meld into a seamless palate of perfumed dark red cherries, minerals and sweet toasted oak, with a darker flavor profile than the Testamatta. This medium-bodied red offers superb poise and balance, with a long, inviting finish. It too needs bottle age to reach its fullest potential. For readers looking at the $800 price tag, that is not a typo. It does represent a completely preposterous, egregious and delusional (you get the idea) approach to pricing, especially considering that Graetz, despite his unquestioned talent, has less than a decade of history under his belt. Colore is a beautiful wine, but its intrinsic value is perhaps in the neighborhood of $80 or so. The rest of the price is simply a play on the wine's scarcity (900 bottles produced) rather than a reflection of what is truly in the bottle. I can think of an infinite number of smarter and ultimately more rewarding ways to spend $800 dollars on wine, and my guess is Wine Advocate readers can too.

• James Suckling: Black in color, with intense aromas of crushed blackberry, dark chocolate and toasty oak. Full-bodied and supervelvety, with a long, long finish. Very New World and very exciting. Hard not to drink now. Canaiolo, Sangiovese and Colorino.

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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