Skip to main content
 83555DM-19
Label 83555DM-19

Bibi Graetz - Testamatta Rosso - 2019

Producer
Bibi Graetz
Blend
100% Sangiovese
Country
Italy
Region
Tuscany
UPC
844962002012
Other
83555DM-19
Product Ratings
Decanter 96pt

The 20th anniversary bottling of Testamatta made, from the 2019 vintage, in brand new winemaking facilities in Florence. This just shines from the moment it’s poured. Layered and complex this is a gem of a wine filled with cherry, raspberry, damson and caramel notes alongside a savoury edge that makes it so moreish. Tannins that support but don't overwhelm give a nice overall weight to the palate while the flavous linger on the long finish. Made from old vines on stony soils on the Tuscan hilltops. Grapes are selected and sourced from the best five vineyards, which are divided into parcels and harvested up to eight times. Fermentation is in open-top barriques for the smaller parcels and in barrels or stainless steel for the larger ones without any temperature controls. Maceration for 7-10 days then moved into old barriques for 20 months.

by Decanter, 2021
James Suckling 97pt

Very attractive combination of dried fruit and spices with black cherries and plums. Aromas of flowers and sandalwood, too. Full-bodied and very refined, yet intense, with plush, velvety tannins that are wonderfully integrated and intertwined with the fruit. Ripe center palate. Tight at the end, suggesting the need for some serious bottle age. Very structured

by James Suckling, 2021
Wine Advocate 94pt

A pure expression of Sangiovese, the Bibi Graetz 2019 Testamatta is a wine in constant evolution. Bibi has added 17 more hectares of vineyard to the program, with 12 hectares in Fiesole (north of Florence) and 5 hectares in San Donato in Colle (south of Florence) with 70-year-old vines. The base of the wine sees fruit from old vines planted in the 1950s in the cool-climate Lamole subzone of Chianti Classico. These new terroirs bring a lot more aromatic nuance and complexity to the wine with perfumed blue flower, candied orange peel, wet earth and plumy black fruit. White Alberese soils add a strong chalky mineral signature to the finish of this elegantly streamlined and linear Tuscan red.

by Wine Advocate, 2021

Description

Testa-Matta” in Italy is someone with a strong personality, a distinctive style and positive attitude and creativity. No other name could describe better Bibi Graetz flagship wine. Supertuscan made with 100% Sangiovese from old vines, this wine is the result of the combination of tradition and creativity, elevating the idea of Tuscan Sangiovese and bringing the word “Supertuscan” to the next level.

Estate

From a medieval castle, Castello di Vincigliata, acquired by his parents over 60 years ago, winemaker Bibi Graetz crafts his wines on a hillside overlooking the great city of Florence. Beginning initially with only a small, 5-acre vineyard on this hillside in Fiesole, in little under two decades, Bibi has become one of Italy's most ingenious winemakers adding cult winemaker in addition to talented abstract artist to his dossier.

Since the release of his first wines in 2000 and without any formal training, Bibi Graetz has managed to stir-up the Tuscan wine scene, and with the creation of Testamatta and Colore, has made his name eponymous with great Tuscan wines. Regularly scoring in the high 90’s with wine publications like Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate, and James Suckling, coupled with his unique and artisanal winemaking approach, Bibi Graetz’s wines have garnered a loyal following among wine collectors and wine trade.

Tasting notes

This Testamatta is so generous, it is able to deliver at the same time and with extreme balance the strength of the vintage and the elegance of Sangiovese. Surprising in the glass, with a lot a different layer, starting from the red fruit, back tea and earth aromas and continuing with tobacco, black cherry and leather. This Testamatta has so much personality! 100% Sangiovese

Vinification

The grapes will be selected for the second time at the winery before destemming and soft pressing. The fermentations are conducted by natural and indigenous yeasts, in open top barriques (225L) without any temperature control and “bleedings”, with 6 manual punch-downs per day. After 7-10 days of maceration, the different parcels are moved into old barriques for 2 years.