November 18, 2024
100 Pointed Testamatta 2018
“I loved this when first tasting it in bottle, and it is totally living up to my expectations. The clarity of flavour and the sense of energy ensures it just springs out of the glass, ready to please and without the slightest hint of a dip through the mid palate.” - Jane Anson
Bibi Graetz’s Testamatta 2018 has earned an exceptional accolade, receiving a perfect 100-point rating twice from renowned critic Jane Anson. First, while writing for Decanter, she praised it as “a great wine, with scope and imagination that doesn't want to let you go.” Later, in Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux, she reaffirmed her admiration, stating, “I loved this when first tasting it in bottle, and it is totally living up to my expectations.” The 2018 Testamatta is the only vintage to receive a perfect 100-point score from Jane Anson, surpassing other notable vintages such as the 2015, which scored 98 points, and the 2020 and 2021, which hold the second and joint third-highest scores respectively.
Bibi Graetz’s journey into winemaking is a compelling story that began in the early 2000s against Italy's rich wine heritage. Raised by Norwegian parents in a medieval castle in Fiesole, Graetz's initial passion for art shifted to viticulture as he explored the vineyards surrounding his ancestral home. Despite lacking formal training, he emerged as a groundbreaking winemaker in Tuscany, defying traditional appellation rules by focusing on old vines of indigenous varieties like Sangiovese. His acclaimed wines, Testamatta and Colore, exemplify his bold, artistic approach and deep connection to the land. Graetz’s unique blend of tradition and innovation continues to redefine Tuscan wine.
The Testamatta which has gained a cult following in recent years and prices have been rising each vintage but we’ve found a small parcel of 2018 at a very competitive price of €59.50 IB per bottle. With a perfect balance of intensity and grace, the Testamatta 2018 solidifies its place as one of Tuscany’s modern icons.
We only have a small number of cases at this price, so if you’re a fan of Testamatta, don’t hesitate to add to your collection.
Bibi Graetz Testamatta 2018
100 Points | Jane Anson, Tasted March 2022
I loved this when first tasting it in bottle, and it is totally living up to my expectations. The clarity of flavour and the sense of energy ensures it just springs out of the glass, ready to please and without the slightest hint of a dip through the mid palate. Sangiovese signature comes across in raspberry, red cherry, rose petals, tobacco, freshly cured leather, great persistency through the palate, showing balance and finesse. The tannins are fine and silky but not afraid to ask for engagement and time from those of us lucky enough to be tasting it. Fermented with natural yeasts, aged in oak casks and neutral barrels for 20 months.
100 Points | Decanter, Jane Anson, Tasted August 2020
Finely textured, with a nuanced perfume that fills the glass and takes you to the intense underbrush of Tuscany. Succulent and yet savoury, this has a lilting freshness that is overlaid with ripe berry fruits, sage and white pepper spice, and clear minerality in terms of its scraping texture that makes your mouth water on the finish. Feels light and sculpted and yet has an intensity that skewers you to the spot. This is a great wine, with scope and imagination that doesn't want to let you go. Genuinely stands out among the wines of this tasting, and these are a fine array of wines. As with Colore, Bibi Graetz selects only old vines, the youngest 50 years old from five different vineyard sites across Tuscany, all farmed organically. Fermentations in open 225l barrels with natural yeasts and manual punch downs.
97 Points | James Suckling
Very subtle aromas of cherries, bark, black truffles and flowers. Hints of crushed stones. It’s full-bodied, yet very tight and solid with a very tight, minerally structure. Very long and intense. Racy and bright at the end. Powerful, orange-peel and citrus-fruit undertones. Salty and minerally. This needs time to develop in the bottle. Extremely structured. A wine not to touch until after 2023.