Bibi Graetz

I continue to be impressed with the beautiful wines of Bibi Graetz. These are highly singular, expressive wines that merit serious consideration. - A Galloni

Bibi Graetz is a recent winery which was born in 2000. Raised in a family of artists, owner and winemaker Bibi Graetz embarked on his wine journey with no formal training or wine connection. He turned to winemaking in the 1990s and has now become an iconic winemaker.

Bibi aims to focus solely on local varieties sourced from old vineyards, which he affectionately refers to as ‘gardens’ due to the meticulously care they receive. His main achievements are iconic Testamatta which expresses the purity of Sangiovese and Colore, sourced from very old vine Sangiovese located at higher altitude and made in small quantity. A white version of both wines is also made with local grape variety Ansonica.

The making of an iconic winemaker

Bibi Graetz was first helped by consultant Alberto Antonini, who made very concentrated wines using new oak barrels. However, Graetz wanted his wines to reflect the terroir. Fascinated by the finesse and purity of fruits old vines can produce, he started to assemble one of the largest collection of old vineyards in Tuscany. From 2004 he took control of the production using indigenous yeasts to ferment and old barrels to age his wines. The result was a fresher style of Sangiovese which reflects the purity and minerality of the grape. He also converted to organic culture by 2008. His background as an artist is reflected on his labels with vivid colour.

Testamatta 2021

His crowning achievement is Testamatta meaning ‘crazy head,’ a playful nod to himself. A blend of old vine Sangiovese, it is built to age well over time. The wine was recently catapulted to new level of recognition when the 2018 vintage received the perfect 100 points from Decanter making Testamatta the third Super Tuscan to achieve a perfect score in this well-respected magazine, the other two being Tua Rita Redigaffi 2016 and legendary Sassicaia 1985.

Testamatta is an incredibly good value wine, especially when compared to the other two (half price of Tua Rita 2016 and 30 time cheaper than Sassicaia 1985). Taking into consideration that Bibi Graetz is still a relatively young producer, we expect his wines be gain more recognition, making them a fantastic opportunity for investment. Only 1,200 cases are produced every year. Secure your allocation now.

Due to global warming, Bibi is changing his approach when sourcing the grapes and is focussing on sourcing grapes from cooler vineyards. This includes a new vineyard property near Fiesole adding shrpness and a lifted bouquet to the wine.

Fabulous aromas of strawberries, orange zest and orange blossom. So pure on the nose. Very perfumed. Medium-bodied with intense linear tannins that are ultra-fine in texture. It's fresh and salty with a brightness and focus. Minerally and crisp. pH is 3.4 highlighting the strength of the acidity. Crunchy. Salty. So delicious now but this will age incredibly well. - 98 points James Suckling

Beautifully fragrant on the nose, delicately scented and inviting with subtle wild flower scents, red and black berries and sweet spices. Chalky and powdery tannins support super bright acidity which gives this such a sharp, thrilling and lively expression. Tannins are super fine but have a spiced edge that grips and holds interest, supportive but not overpowering, letting the acidity and bright fruit flavours shine through. Beautifully delineated and expressed, elegant, refined, totally beguiling yet with layers of flavour and intensity and such a long finish. Feels supremely drinkable and that is such a feat at this young stage. Well worked, balanced, and enjoyable with flashes of heat and spice dotting the finish. Really wonderful and totally charming. - 97 points Decanter

Colore 2021

Colore is sourced from very old vineyards of Sangiovese situated on poor soils at higher altitude. Unlike Testamatta, Colore hasn’t seen much stylistic changes over the years and expresses elegance and finesse. Only the best few barrels are made. It is Bibi's first love and an incredible world class wines. Around 225 cases are produced on average. Secure your allocation now.

Intense aromas of purple fruits such as raspberry, spice, lead pencil and granite. Perfumed flowers as well. Full-bodied, tight with poised tannins that show transparency and focus. Crunchy and very long. Better after 2028 when it opens and integrates beautifully. - 99 points James Suckling

The Bibi Graetz 2021 Colore is Sangiovese from old vines, but otherwise, winemaking and the oak regime is identical to the other top red, Testamatta. In this case, fruit comes from the Lamole area with vineyards at a high 600 meters above sea level. Some are south-facing but high up on the mountain. As Bibi explains: “Colore delivers power and freshness, whereas Testamatta delivers transparency and freshness.” The Colore shows the pure energy and liveliness of Sangiovese with violet, wild cherry and orange zest. The wine delivers an elegantly earthy side with a very delineated mouthfeel driven by very fine, silly tannins. This is a beautiful wine with delicately sweet cherry on the finish. Bibi has been making little changes to this wine over the years (other than giving it a new winery home in Fiesole) to capture an ideal or benchmark for Sangiovese. His 2021 is his best wine yet. - 98+ points Robert Parker

Testamatta Bianco 2022

Bibi Graetz spent on Isola del Giglio his childhood where he experienced the unique viticulture of the island. Testamatta Bianco was born thanks to the stories and knowledge the old farmers told him every morning while going to the vineyards together with their donkeys. After many years of research and hard work, selecting our white wines from the Ansonica grapes of the island, we realized we were ready to close the circle of Testamatta, producing alongside the red, the white version. Testamatta Bianco, produced for the first time in 2016, has already become a benchmark for white wines in Italy. Secure your allocation now.

Invigorating scents on the nose with this 100% Ansonica, expressive and so fragrant with jasmine, dried herbs, honeysuckle, dried apricot and lemon curd. Supple yet concentrated, full bodied on the palate with a core of dried, fresh and stone fruit and a steely minerality underpinned by soft but fresh acidity. A serious, gourmet wine, with structure but remains focussed and direct from start to finish. The texture is sleek but the flavours expand horizontally around gripping the cheeks and giving a mouthwatering effect. Finishes with an appealing salty, minty, cooling bitterness that lingers. Quietly captivating with more nuance to come after a few more years in the bottle. First vintage 2016. - 96 points Decanter

Colore Bianco 2022

Colore Bianco comes from an old vineyard overlooking the sea, where the wind, the sun and the salt break the granite rocks to create sandy soils where the Ansonica variety has been grown for centuries. The choice to add a white to this tier of wines was driven by our belief that we have a source of such unique and extremely high quality Ansonica as to be worthy of the name Color. Secure your allocation now.

Slightly less expressive on the nose than the Testamatta Bianco, this 100% Ansonica from old vines, is more subtle with pear, apricot, wild honey, white blossom and a delicate dusting of pepper and clove spice. Generous and charming, this settles quite quickly on the tongue, a dash of bitterness, soft acidity, sweet and ripe yellow fruit, warming toasted and herbal nuances and salty edges. It's concentrated and detailed, but more brimming under the surface at this point, not yet ready to come out all guns blazing. Beautiful construction and a captivating display of flavours. I love the nuance and the rawness - tastes somewhat wild and a true expression of the grape and place with such a long-lasting finish. Extremely moreish and just begs another sip to see the evolution. A great wine. - 96 points Decanter