Reviews:
- James Suckling 95: A silky and structured red with tiles, dark berries and lightly shaved chocolate. Full body, firm tannins and a persistent finish. Shows zest and liveliness.
- Wine Spectator 94: A good lashing of new oak provides toast and vanilla notes that augment the smoky black cherry and plum flavors in this red, which combines complexity, freshness and balance, with licorice, leather and tar chiming in on the firm finish. Sangiovese.
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Jancis Robinson (17.50)
Sangiovese vines aged 50-80 years in Vincigliata, Fiesole, Rufina, Greve, Panzano and Siena. Soils rich in galestro and clay. Vinified in open-topped French barriques with 6-8 manual punchdowns per day. Aged 30 months in French oak. 1,250 cases.
Mid cherry red. Lovely aroma of sour cherry allied to a more savoury quality and also a touch of oak sweetness. Graetz has achieved that fine, dry tannic texture here that I only ever find where the vineyard has been allowed to speak. Again there is a touch of oak sweetness but the fruit shines – the palate is both scented and deep in fruit but without being a fruit bomb. It is a lovely wine but I can’t help thinking the price is this high because so little is made. But is is beautifully refined, aromatic and persistent. Clear Sangiovese character but Sangiovese that is showing terrific finesse. I have not tasted older vintages but this has the freshness and the harmony to have a long life if you can keep your hands off it as it gives so much scented pleasure already. (JH)
About Winery
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.
Sourcing grapes from parcels of old vines around Tuscany give the Bibi reds great depth and soul; while grapes from vines on the Isola del Giglio have provided proof that Tuscany can be known for beautiful white wines as well. This affinity for old vines allows for the concentrated yet elegant wines of Bibi Graetz making this portfolio a collectible from Tuscan producers. His passion for producing his flagship wines exclusively from traditional varieties of Sangiovese, Colorino, and Canaiolo for the reds and the indigenous varieties of Ansonica and Vermentino for his whites have resulted in very distinctive wines that consistently set his wines apart from those from the rest of Tuscany, and Italy.