2013 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Toscana IGT 750 ml

The Pinnacle of Super Tuscan Stardom

Bibi Graetz has catapulted himself to the pinnacle of Super Tuscan stardom. “I continue to be impressed with the beautiful wines of Bibi Graetz,” raves Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, further adding they are “singular, expressive wines that merit serious consideration.” James Suckling, Wine Spectator’s former European Bureau Chief, has said “each bottle is like a tiny, polished sculpture” — none more so than the 2013 Testamatta Toscana, which Suckling scored 97 points calling it “exciting,” with “full body, fine and silky tannins” and  praising its “persistence and intensity.” Compared to heavyweights Sassicaia (98 points/$180), Ornellaia (98/$183) and Solaia (97/$218), the Testamatta punches well above it’s weight. Just 40 cases.

Bibi works on a plot-by-plot basis, starting with the (at least) 35-year-old Sangiovese vines planted on the classic schistous Galestro that defines the great red wine vineyards of the Tuscany. Next comes fermenting in 225L barrique with 6-8 gentle punchdowns a day, working Sangiovese’s hard-as-rock tannins into a supple bolt of velvet. Yet the resulting product isn’t ponderous or candied. Sangiovese’s bright acid and charming cherry fruit profile shine through. The wine is capped by a maelstrom of alluring perfume: sandalwood, rose petals, and dried sage.

From the 1980s through the early 2000s, you couldn’t make a 100% Sangiovese Chianti, so many of Tuscany’s top producers threw off the mantle of the DOCG in order to make the wine they wanted, labeled as a simple IGT Toscana. Graetz continues in this tradition, working a set of vineyards immediately south of Florence. To the task of making genre-defining Sangiovese, Graetz brings the meticulous attention to detail he learned in his early life as a painter.