Wine Advisor
Bibi Graetz, Testamatta 2009
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Description
"Testamatta” – “crazy-head” in Italian - is the best word to describe Bibi Graetz: a positive, creative and passionate person. Testamatta wine expresses the purity, minerality and transparency of Sangiovese from old vines on the top of the hills characterized by soils rich of stones. A Supertuscan made with 100% Sangiovese, result of the combination of tradition and creativity.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Testamatta is a relatively simple, fruity wine with good depth and an attractive personality but little of the pedigree that informs the finest years. Sweet red fruit and flowers wrap around the soft, pleasant finish. Overall, the 2009 comes across as an eviscerated Testamatta with little complexity or pedigree to speak of. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2015. I am perplexed by this set of wines from Bibi Graetz. Quality is inconsistent throughout the range, most disappointingly in the higher end bottlings. Various American importers, including Michael Skurnik, Syosset, NY; tel. (516) 677-9300, Trilussa Wine Company, Greenbrae CA; tel. (415) 499 8466, Siema Wines LLC, Springfield, VA; tel. (703) 455-1200, MS Walker, Sommerville, MA; tel. (617) 776-6700
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Testamatta possesses remarkable depth and power along with tons of textural elegance. There is plenty of Sangiovese character in the dusty red cherries, flowers, licorice and tobacco. The wine’s color and forward bouquet suggest it is on a relatively fast path of evolution. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2021. Importer: Wilson Daniels Ltd, St. Helena, CA; tel. (707) 963-9661
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2009 Testamatta is a relatively simple, fruity wine with good depth and an attractive personality but little of the pedigree that informs the finest years. Sweet red fruit and flowers wrap around the soft, pleasant finish. Overall, the 2009 comes across as an eviscerated Testamatta with little complexity or pedigree to speak of.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Soft and almost oily in texture with cedar, chocolate orange and spices. Very Burgundian. From a top year. But intense and Tuscan. Long and gorgeous. Voluptuous. Decadent and sexy.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A wine with lots of blackberries and milk chocolate on the nose with medium to full body, with fine tannins and cocoa, berry and dusty finish. Chewy and rich. Needs time to soften and mellow. Better after 2013.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
A sexy, fresh wine with beautiful fruit and dried flowers. Full body with ultra-fine tannins and a long, long finish. So savory and flavorful but complex and subtle. Try in 2016, but hard to wait.
About the Producer
Bibi Graetz is one of the best wine producers in Tuscany, which has become famous for its Soffocone di Vincigliata, Colore, Testamatta Rosso and Bianco wines. Its grapes come from vines of about 80 years of age, the autochthonous: Sangiovese, Colorino and Cannaiolo. The Bibi Graetz estate is located in Vincigliata, a small village behind the Fiesole hill.
