Bibi Graetz

Testamatta Rosso 2018

Ganz ohne Frage gehört der norwegisch-stämmige Bibi Graetz zu den grossen Weinmachern und gleichzeitig zu den grossen Individualisten der Toskana. Er selbst nennt sich und seine Wein-Ikone daher ‚Testamatta‘ was auf Italienisch so viel wie „Spinner“ oder auch „Verrückter“ heisst. Doch ist Bibi alles Andere als ein Spinner: Er weiss genau, was er tut, doch er tut es auf seine Weise. Daher muss man sich auch nicht wundern, dass der Wein als Landwein Toscana Rosso klassifiziert ist, obwohl die Weinberge innerhalb des Chianti Classico liegen. Die grossen Kritikerkoryphäen sind jedenfalls begeistert!

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. A wine not to touch until after 2023.

Finely textured, with a nuanced perfume that fills the glass and takes you to the intense underbrush of Tuscany. Succulent and yet savoury, this has a lilting freshness that is overlaid with ripe berry fruits, sage and white pepper spice, and clear minerality in terms of its scraping texture that makes your mouth water on the finish. Feels light and sculpted and yet has an intensity that skewers you to the spot. This is a great wine, with scope and imagination that doesn't want to let you go. Genuinely stands out among the wines of this tasting, and these are a fine array of wines. As with Colore, Bibi Graetz selects only old vines, the youngest 50 years old from five different vineyard sites across Tuscany, all farmed organically. Fermentations in open 225l barrels with natural yeasts and manual punch downs.