TESTAMATTA 2016

Description

Lisa Perrotti-Brown 96 points www.parker.com
This wine will be released in March 2019. The 2016 Testamatta represents a blend of fruit from old vines spread across the various vineyard holdings farmed by Bibi Graetz in both the Siena and Firenze provinces of Tuscany. These holdings include plots in Vincigliata (home base to Bibi Graetz and his family just outside of Florence), Lamole, Londa, Montefili and Siena. Many of the vines used here are 80 years old or more, and each site represents a cultural and enological patrimony that was specifically selected for its individual character or uniqueness. There is an unescapable metaphor in the many primary colors that blend or bleed into each other to form a single piece of art that is depicted on the front label of this handsome bottle. Testamatta reaches impeccable harmony in similar fashion. I tasted this wine on three separate occasions and was blown away each time. There is a seductively wild side to the wine that comes forth with chiseled intensity. Dark fruit, spice, tar, licorice and toasted spice make for a beautifully elegant bouquet. The mouthfeel remains mid-weight in approach, with polished tannins and a tightly knit texture that should relax and grow in volume as the wine evolves in the bottle. Some 60,000 bottles were made.

Notes de dégustation de Bibi Graetz vinificateur
The “Crazy-head”
“Testa-Matta” in Italy is someone with a strong personality, a distinctive style and positive attitude and creativity. No other name could describe better Bibi Graetz flagship wine. Supertuscan made with 100% Sangiovese from old vines, this wine is the result of the combination of tradition and creativity, elevating the idea of Tuscan Sangiovese and bringing the word “Supertuscan” to the next level.

Winemaker’s Tasting Notes
Sangiovese 100%

“This Testamatta is so generous, it is able to deliver at the same time and with extreme balance the strength of the vintage and the elegance of Sangiovese. 2016 is so surprising in the glass, with a lot a different layers, starting from the red fruit, back tea and earth aromas and continuing with tobacco, black cherry and leather. This Testamatta has so much personality! Bibi Graetz

Vintage 2016: the growing season
This is what we call the perfect growing season: winter had only few days of frost at the end of February, and Spring had the right balance of sun and rain. Summer started slowly and few rains in July and August interrupted the high summer temperatures. September and October had a lot of sun and nice temperatures allowing a slow ripening and harvest. Harvest for Testamatta started the 22th September and finished the 29th October.

Vinification and Ageing
Testamatta grapes are selected and sourced from the best 5 vineyards of the winery: Vincigliata, Londa, Lamole, Montefili, Siena. Each vineyard, divided in parcels, is harvested up to 8 times, making sure all the grapes are picked at the perfect ripening point. The 5 vineyards, both characterized by very old age (up to 80 yrs) are located in different areas of Tuscany: Lamole & Montefili in the heart of Chianti Classico at 600 and 400 meters altitude, Vincigliata near by Firenze at 280 meters altitude, Londa in north of Firenze, towards the Rufina valley and Siena in the south of Tuscany at 250 meters altitude. The grapes will be selected for the second time at the winery before destemming and soft pressing. The fermentations are conducted by natural and indigenous yeasts, in open top barriques (225L) without any temperature control and “bleedings”, with 6 manual puch-downs per day. After 7-10 days of maceration, the different parcels are moved into old barriques for 2 years