Close
Search
Filters

Testamatta 2016 75cl

IGT | Tuscany | Italy
Sold out
Critics scores
96 Robert Parker
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.
92 Wine Spectator
A focused, linear style, this red features cherry, iron, earth and tobacco flavors, with a hint of wild scrub in the aroma, all matched to a firm, well-integrated structure. Tightens up on the finish, remaining long and detailed. Drink now through 2024. 7,500 cases made, 1,850 cases imported. — BS
Producer
Bibi Graetz
Firstly, an artist and graduate of the Academia dell’Arte in Florence, Bibi Graetz started making wine in the late 1990s and has since become one of the Tuscany’s most inspired winemakers. Born and raised in Italy and without any formal training, Graetz produces wine at his family home in Fiesole, a castle called Castello di Vincigliata. He decided early on to focus on the production of native Tuscan varieties, mostly Sangiovese, but also Colorino and Canaiolo and a tiny bit of Malvasia Nera and Moscato Nero. The fruit is sourced from old-age vines (ranging from 30 to 60-years-old) around the Chianti Classico area, including Maremma, the island of Giglio and Montalcino. Vinification is carried out in open fermenters and the resulting wines are inky-black red in color exposing a spectacular range of intensity and ingenuity. His flagship wine, Testamatta, which roughly translates to “Hot Head”, is made entirely from old-vine Sangiovese and is a powerful red with notes of cherry and tobacco. Another fascinating feature of his wines are that all of their labels are designed by Graetz himself, ultimately inspired by the Tuscan sun. From artist to cult winemaker, Graetz’s wines get better and better with every vintage, they are certainly top collectible Tuscan wines.