2019 Bibi Graetz Colore, Tuscany

The ‘dream’ in Italian, this is from very old, high-altitude vineyards on stony soils mixed with sand and stone. This is one of the wines of the tasting, a real showstopper that captures your interest and holds it all the way. Red cherries and strawberries dominate the nose with softly-spiced liquorice touches. But it’s the texture that’s so captivating, gripping straight away and holding you there, but in a soft and gentle way. Bright acidity comes in keeping things fresh and welcoming while the structure and length give a lovely roundness. A real success. Grapes for Colore are sourced from three vineyards, with each harvested up to eight times. After the first selection in the vineyards, a second selection occurs at the winery before destemming where grapes are softly pressed and placed in open-top barriques, keeping each plot and parcel separate from the others. The fermentation is conducted naturally by indigenous yeasts without temperature control lasting up to two weeks, with one extra week of maceration on the skins. After the fermentation the wine is moved into new barriques, where the malolactic fermentation happens. Each parcel is aged separately for almost 20 months before the final blend is decided. Drinking Window 2025 - 2045 

98 points Georgina Hindle decanter.com

Dressed for a party, the Bibi Graetz 2019 Colore celebrates the estate's 20th anniversary with a special commemorative (2000-2019) bottle. This vintage of Colore is 100% Sangiovese (the small part of Colorino in the blend we saw last year has been removed) because Bibi thought the Sangiovese elegant enough to stand alone. Fruit comes from three vineyard sites with 70-, 80- and 90-year-old vines, respectively. The wine offers big intensity and beautifully lifted aromas and more textural support than we saw in the slightly thinner 2018 vintage. The bouquet reveals balsam herb, cassis, pressed rose, garden mint and crushed stone. Fruit from the southern-most site, Poggio Matto in Casciano del Murlo (in the province of Siena), was blended in at a greater percentage to help build the structure and momentum of this cellar-worthy wine. 

96 points Monica Larner robertparker.com

This is so perfumed and seductive, with blackberries, cherries, dried flowers and perfume. It’s full-bodied and tight with very fine tannins. Really structured and long. Superb tannin texture. So fine, yet so powerful. This is an incredible combination of fruit and structure. Old-vine magic. Drink after 2026. 

99 points jamessuckling.com

2019 Bibi Graetz Colore is one of the most extreme and uncompromising expressions of Sangiovese made anywhere in Italy. This is not just a wine, it is a statement. Colore sits at the absolute summit of Bibi Graetz’s work and is produced in tiny quantities from a microscopic selection of Tuscany’s oldest, most precious vines. It is rare, fiercely sought after and firmly in the realm of serious collectors.

The fruit comes exclusively from very old Sangiovese vines, many between 70 and over 100 years of age, planted at altitude in areas such as Lamole, Vincigliata and Siena. These vineyards sit on poor, rocky soils that naturally restrict yields and concentrate flavour. The old vines are the key. Their deep root systems bring intensity, mineral depth and an almost haunting sense of place that simply cannot be replicated in younger plantings. In 2019, conditions were close to ideal, delivering purity, balance and extraordinary precision.

Bibi Graetz approaches Colore with almost obsessive focus. An artist by training, he treats Colore as a pure emotional and sensory expression rather than a commercial wine. Fermentation is natural, extraction is extremely gentle and ageing takes place mainly in large old oak and concrete. There is no attempt to polish or soften the wine. Everything is about preserving energy, detail and truth. The production is minuscule, with ruthless selection meaning only the very best barrels make the final cut.

The aromatics are intense and incredibly refined. Sour cherry, wild strawberry and redcurrant are immediate, but they are quickly joined by layers of rose petal, dried violets and blood orange peel. With air, deeper notes emerge. Crushed rock, iron, graphite, balsamic herbs and a subtle earthy savouriness that feels ancient and grounded. The perfume is powerful but precise, never overblown.

On the palate, Colore is both monumental and graceful. The fruit is vivid and concentrated, yet the wine feels light on its feet due to its driving acidity and extraordinary tannin quality. Tannins are ultra fine and persistent, coating the palate with a silky but authoritative grip. Flavours of cherry, pomegranate and spice unfold slowly, followed by savoury herbal notes and a strong mineral core. The finish is exceptionally long, layered and resonant, echoing red fruit, florals and stone for minutes.

This is a wine built for decades. While it can be approached young with long decanting, it is at its best viewed as a long term cellar proposition, comfortably evolving over twenty five years or more. With time, it will gain tertiary complexity, truffle, leather and savoury depth while retaining its remarkable freshness and structure. At the table, it demands simple but profound food. Think bistecca alla fiorentina, slow roasted lamb, game or truffle driven dishes.

2019 Bibi Graetz Colore is extraordinarily rare, profoundly expressive and one of the purest Sangiovese wines produced in the modern era. A true collector’s bottle and a benchmark for what Tuscan Sangiovese can achieve at its highest level.