I visited Bibi Graetz last September at his home and wine cellar in Fiesole just outside Florence where we tasted several older vintages as well as more recent ones. Earlier vintages went through a stage of being big, oaky and extracted as Bibi himself admits but at the time this was the fashion for a lot of high scoring wines. Since 2009 in particular it struck Bibi that people preferred to drink and buy more elegant and less imposing wines. Recent vintages have become much more refined. If anyone can tell a good story Bibi can and today he captivated the audience with a series of anecdotes and tales as he opened a sponsored wine vault in London for two months at Hedonism Wines. This was accompanied by a tasting of his two white wines, Testamatta and Colore 2022 made on the island of Giglio in Tuscany from Ansonica and three vintages each of his Testamatta & Colore reds. These last two are 100% Sangiovese from older vines and 4-6 different vineyards. The vintages tasted for both Testamatta and Colore were 2015, 2020 & 2021. The 2020 and 2021 vintages in particular have become lighter and more elegant in weight and texture with a much finer quality of tannins. Bibi once said he wanted to make Italy’s most expensive wine and although he has modified that view a little today he is getting a little closer to achieving this ambition. Colore is currently available at Hedonism for £180 a bottle according to the website. True to the name ‘colore’ the Bibi Graetz vault at Hedonism Wines is a fun and colourful sight to see.
© 2023, Susan Hulme MW. All rights reserved.