2021 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco

Type of Wine | White |
---|---|
Country | Italy |
Region | Tuscany |
Appellation | Toscana |
Winery | |
Vintage | 2021 |
Grape | |
Content (Alc) | 0.75 ltr (14%) |
Drink window | 2022 - 2035 |
Low Stock
Only 2 left
Description
Perhaps one of the most beautiful Tucan white wines, but limited availability. Every year around 5000-6000 bottles are made. The 2018 Testamatta Bianco Isola del Giglio comes from an Ansonica vineyard on the island of Giglio. The 2018 vintage on the island of Giglio was quite unusual, it was very rainy and humid both in winter and spring. The significant rainfall was necessary to restore water resources in the soil. The summer was ideal, hot and dry, with occasional rain showers. The harvest was great and later than usual.
The grapes for Testamatta come from the best vineyard on the island: Serrone. Technically we can call Testamatta bianco a "single vineyard". Serrone is located in the southeastern part of the island, facing the sea at an altitude that goes from 60 to 150 meters, terrace after terrace. The vines, up to 100 years old, grow on rocky, poor and granite soils of the island. The harvest started on August 18, each Ansonica grape, picked by hand, was transported in baskets to the winery, located in the center of the island in Giglio Castello. After de-stalking and a very gentle pressing with dry ice, we left the skins behind
with the juice. After this period of maceration, the must is stood for about 48 hours at low temperature in stainless steel tanks and then moved to new 225L French oak barriques for alcoholic fermentation at 20 ° C. After fermentation, the wine is aged for 12 months with the lees ( sur lie) without any malolactic fermentation and then bottled
Testamatta has always been identified as Bibi Graetz's image and flagship. The Testamatta Bianco, first produced in 2016, has already become a benchmark for white wines in Italy. The Testamatta Bianco has the aromas, flavors and character of the island of Giglio in a bottle: you can smell the scent of the undergrowth, the menthol of myrtle, the minerality of the soil and the elegance of the Ansonica grapes. All these aromas are perfectly combined by the tannins and the smoked bouquet of the oak.
Specifications
Type of Wine | White |
---|---|
Country | Italy |
Region | Tuscany |
Appellation | Toscana |
Winery | Bibi Graetz |
Grape | Ansonica |
Biological certified | No |
Natural wine | No |
Vegan | No |
Vintage | 2021 |
Drinking as of | 2022 |
Drinking till | 2035 |
Alcohol % | 14 |
Alcohol free/low | No |
Content | 0.75 ltr |
Oak aging | Yes |
Sparkling | No |
Dessert wine | No |
Closure | Cork |
Parker rating | 96 |
James Suckling rating | 98 |
Tasting Profiles | Complex, Droog, Houtgerijpt, Krachtig, Mineraal, Strak, Vol, Wit fruit |
Drink moments | Indruk maken, Lekker luxe |
Professional Reviews
Parker
Rating
95+
Release Price
$90 - 100
Drink Date
2019 - 2035
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
30th Aug 2019
Source
Issue 244 End of August 2019, The Wine Advocate
This wine is really quite terrific, and with 6,500 bottles made, it is easier to find (and more affordable) than Bibi Graetz's new single-vineyard expression of Ansonica, Colore Bianco. The 2018 Testamatta Bianco Isola del Giglio sees fruit blended from three bigger vineyard sites on Giglio Island and some smaller ones as well (Vigneto del Corvo, Scopeto, Ulivello, Radice and Le Grotte). In contrast to the Colore Bianco that revealed more consistency, the two bottles I sampled of this wine (one opened in the morning and one in the afternoon) showed very different results between them. The morning bottle was more fleshy and ample, while the just-opened bottle offered very linear notes of citrus, apple and white peach. Some of the grapes are harvested early, in order to maintain that total acidity, and used as a blending agent with the rest of the wine. Green harvesting is not practiced here, as each vine is left on its own to ripen. Bibi Graetz tells me that the 2018 vintage was much easier and gave more satisfaction compared to the difficult 2017 growing season. Of course, like any white wine from the Tuscan Coast, you get a distinctive layer of sea salt on the close—in this case, mixed in with some freshly milled white pepper.
Bibi Graetz is an interesting producer who, if you consider the big picture, makes a lot of wine, with annual production hitting between 500,000 and 600,000 bottles. But he is best known for his tiny batches (900 bottles and upward) of carefully crafted boutique wines that each represent a very distinct and special territory. He is also building a new super cool winery in the main square of Fiesole (outside of Florence), and I have been enthusiastically following its progression on social media. I will deliver a full report when I have a chance to see it with my own eyes.
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James Suckling
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Wijnhuis
The Bibi Greatz winery was founded in 2000 in the town of Fiesole in Tuscany. Bibi Graetz is considered one of the most talented winemakers in Tuscany. His father is Israeli and his mother Norwegian, but he was born and raised in Florence. He lives in part of the beautiful old castle with his Norwegian wife and 4 children.
More information about Bibi Greatz
Bibi comes from a family of artists, until he himself decided to take a different path and left the winemaker profession behind. He bought an 8 hectare vineyard with 60 year old vines. Today Graetz is one of the biggest names in Tuscany. The labels on the bottles show that Bibi Graetz comes from an artistic family, as he painted the images on the labels himself. The wines are rare and limited. Testamatta production from just 10,000 bottles per year.
Perhaps one of the most beautiful Tucan white wines, but limited availability. Every year around 5000-6000 bottles are made. The 2018 Testamatta Bianco Isola del Giglio comes from an Ansonica vineyard on the island of Giglio. The 2018 vintage on the island of Giglio was quite unusual, it was very rainy and humid both in winter and spring. The significant rainfall was necessary to restore water resources in the soil. The summer was ideal, hot and dry, with occasional rain showers. The harvest was great and later than usual.
The grapes for Testamatta come from the best vineyard on the island: Serrone. Technically we can call Testamatta bianco a "single vineyard". Serrone is located in the southeastern part of the island, facing the sea at an altitude that goes from 60 to 150 meters, terrace after terrace. The vines, up to 100 years old, grow on rocky, poor and granite soils of the island. The harvest started on August 18, each Ansonica grape, picked by hand, was transported in baskets to the winery, located in the center of the island in Giglio Castello. After de-stalking and a very gentle pressing with dry ice, we left the skins behind
with the juice. After this period of maceration, the must is stood for about 48 hours at low temperature in stainless steel tanks and then moved to new 225L French oak barriques for alcoholic fermentation at 20 ° C. After fermentation, the wine is aged for 12 months with the lees ( sur lie) without any malolactic fermentation and then bottled
Testamatta has always been identified as Bibi Graetz's image and flagship. The Testamatta Bianco, first produced in 2016, has already become a benchmark for white wines in Italy. The Testamatta Bianco has the aromas, flavors and character of the island of Giglio in a bottle: you can smell the scent of the undergrowth, the menthol of myrtle, the minerality of the soil and the elegance of the Ansonica grapes. All these aromas are perfectly combined by the tannins and the smoked bouquet of the oak.
Type of Wine | White |
---|---|
Country | Italy |
Region | Tuscany |
Appellation | Toscana |
Winery | Bibi Graetz |
Grape | Ansonica |
Biological certified | No |
Natural wine | No |
Vegan | No |
Vintage | 2021 |
Drinking as of | 2022 |
Drinking till | 2035 |
Alcohol % | 14 |
Alcohol free/low | No |
Content | 0.75 ltr |
Oak aging | Yes |
Sparkling | No |
Dessert wine | No |
Closure | Cork |
Parker rating | 96 |
James Suckling rating | 98 |
Tasting Profiles | Complex, Droog, Houtgerijpt, Krachtig, Mineraal, Strak, Vol, Wit fruit |
Drink moments | Indruk maken, Lekker luxe |
Parker
Rating
95+
Release Price
$90 - 100
Drink Date
2019 - 2035
Reviewed by
Monica Larner
Issue Date
30th Aug 2019
Source
Issue 244 End of August 2019, The Wine Advocate
This wine is really quite terrific, and with 6,500 bottles made, it is easier to find (and more affordable) than Bibi Graetz's new single-vineyard expression of Ansonica, Colore Bianco. The 2018 Testamatta Bianco Isola del Giglio sees fruit blended from three bigger vineyard sites on Giglio Island and some smaller ones as well (Vigneto del Corvo, Scopeto, Ulivello, Radice and Le Grotte). In contrast to the Colore Bianco that revealed more consistency, the two bottles I sampled of this wine (one opened in the morning and one in the afternoon) showed very different results between them. The morning bottle was more fleshy and ample, while the just-opened bottle offered very linear notes of citrus, apple and white peach. Some of the grapes are harvested early, in order to maintain that total acidity, and used as a blending agent with the rest of the wine. Green harvesting is not practiced here, as each vine is left on its own to ripen. Bibi Graetz tells me that the 2018 vintage was much easier and gave more satisfaction compared to the difficult 2017 growing season. Of course, like any white wine from the Tuscan Coast, you get a distinctive layer of sea salt on the close—in this case, mixed in with some freshly milled white pepper.
Bibi Graetz is an interesting producer who, if you consider the big picture, makes a lot of wine, with annual production hitting between 500,000 and 600,000 bottles. But he is best known for his tiny batches (900 bottles and upward) of carefully crafted boutique wines that each represent a very distinct and special territory. He is also building a new super cool winery in the main square of Fiesole (outside of Florence), and I have been enthusiastically following its progression on social media. I will deliver a full report when I have a chance to see it with my own eyes.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
James Suckling
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua...
Exclusive Content
Sign in to unlock professional wine reviews from world-renowned critics
The Bibi Greatz winery was founded in 2000 in the town of Fiesole in Tuscany. Bibi Graetz is considered one of the most talented winemakers in Tuscany. His father is Israeli and his mother Norwegian, but he was born and raised in Florence. He lives in part of the beautiful old castle with his Norwegian wife and 4 children.
More information about Bibi Greatz
Bibi comes from a family of artists, until he himself decided to take a different path and left the winemaker profession behind. He bought an 8 hectare vineyard with 60 year old vines. Today Graetz is one of the biggest names in Tuscany. The labels on the bottles show that Bibi Graetz comes from an artistic family, as he painted the images on the labels himself. The wines are rare and limited. Testamatta production from just 10,000 bottles per year.