2018 Bibi Graetz Testamatta, Tuscany

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. Drinking Window 2024 – 2045
 
100 points Jane Anson decanter.com

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.
 
97 points jamessuckling.com

Very elaborate and well defined pure Sangiovese with ruby colour and discreet garnet hue. The nose presents a multi-layered aroma reminiscent of ripe blackberries, dried figs, ripe elderberries and hints of dried rosemary and thyme. However this wine is still very closed and needs a lot of time to open up. On the palate it shows a closed character yet well balanced with excellent length. The tannins are ripe and well-integrated, the fine acidity adds a touch of freshness. A promising bottle with excellent potential, purity and elegance combined
 
98 points Markus Del Monego MW

The 2018 Testamatta shows elegant Sangiovese purity and transparency, starting with delicate wild berry and blueberry tones and finishing long with pretty accents of crushed limestone and a touch of campfire ash. In the glass, the wine is radiant and vivid with a luminous ruby or garnet color. Oak use is reduced to a bare minimum, with barrels that are up to their 16th year of use. "The older they are, the better," Bibi explains. As the wine opens in the glass, it presents pretty lilac and violet. This wine represents a blend of fruit from various sites (all with old vines that are farmed organically) across the region of Tuscany. The northern-most sites close to Florence tend to add the floral notes that are so characteristic of this cool vintage (which saw a bit more rain than average and extra work in the vineyards to kept these vines healthy). I visited the vineyards with Bibi in 2018 and remember how beautiful the grapes appeared on the vines. Much of the fruit used here comes from the Vigna del Cancello in Casciano del Murlo, which is midway between Siena and Montalcino. These southern sites give the wine its backbone and tannins. Bibi Graetz tells me that he struggled to create the blend for this 60,000-bottle release. He decided on a final blend, only to change his mind and re-blend two and a half months later. His second stab was specifically aimed at capturing finesse and softening the wine's tannic imprint. Indeed, the wine ultimately offers more in length (with fresh fruit flavors and bright acidity) than it does in power or mid-palate. The finish is silky, long and very fine.
 
94 points Monica Larner robertparker.com 

2018 Bibi Graetz Testamatta is one of those Tuscan wines that has crossed the line from cult favourite into modern icon. Made entirely from Sangiovese, this is Testamatta at full volume yet with incredible precision, a wine that captures raw Tuscan energy and refines it into something truly collectible. The 2018 vintage sits comfortably in the 100 points club and is widely regarded as one of the great modern releases of Testamatta, with demand far outstripping supply.

The fruit comes from some of Tuscany’s most prized old vineyards, scattered across regions including Chianti, Montefioralle, Lamole and Siena. Many of these sites sit at altitude, with poor, rocky soils that naturally limit yields and concentrate flavour. This patchwork of terroirs is central to the Testamatta story. Rather than chasing a single vineyard expression, Bibi Graetz builds complexity by blending the soul of multiple historic sites, many planted decades ago and farmed with deep respect.

Bibi Graetz himself is one of Italy’s most unconventional and compelling winemakers. A Florentine artist by training, he approaches wine with instinct, emotion and a fearless commitment to purity. Testamatta, meaning crazy head, is both a personal statement and a philosophy. The winemaking is deliberately hands off. Fermentation is natural, extraction is gentle, and ageing takes place primarily in large old oak and concrete, allowing Sangiovese to speak without cosmetic gloss.

The tasting profile is extraordinary in its depth and clarity. Aromatically, it explodes from the glass with sour cherry, wild strawberry and blood orange, layered with rose petal, dried herbs and crushed stone. As it opens, darker notes emerge. Iron, graphite, balsamic nuance and a subtle earthy savouriness that feels unmistakably Tuscan. There is intensity, but it is lifted rather than heavy.

On the palate, the wine is powerful yet refined. Juicy red fruits lead, followed by hints of pomegranate, spice and savoury herbal complexity. The tannins are fine but commanding, silky at first then tightening through the finish, giving the wine its unmistakable structure and longevity. Acidity is vibrant and perfectly judged, driving the wine across the palate and keeping everything fresh and alive. The finish is long, persistent and layered, echoing red fruit, mineral grip and dried floral notes long after the last sip.

This is a wine made for collectors and for the cellar. While it can be approached now with decanting, it is built to age effortlessly for twenty years or more, gaining complexity, savoury depth and tertiary nuance over time. At the table, it shines with bistecca alla fiorentina, slow cooked lamb, game, truffle driven dishes or simply alongside great conversation and patience.

2018 Bibi Graetz Testamatta is rare, highly sought after and unmistakably individual. A true statement wine, a benchmark for modern Sangiovese, and a bottle that comfortably earns its place among the world’s most collectible Italian reds.