Bibi Graetz, Colore Rossa, Toscana 2022

Perfection in sangiovese, with cherry blossoms, chalk, seashells, fine sand and violets on the nose and palate. Medium- to full-bodied with focused and poised tannins that are wonderfully integrated and rather endless. Crunchy and chewy at the end. Such presence. You want to spend time with this wine. A top selection from two vineyards Olmo and one in the village of Chianti Classico in Lamole, 60 and 88 years old, respectively. This is a wine that gives great pleasure now, but will be even better in two or three years.

Colore is the product of old vines in the Chianti Classico hills, in Lamole and Olmo. ‘Colore is my dream from the beginning of working with old vineyards...the vineyard in Lamole is beautiful, it's THE vineyard in Chianti Classico,’ says Bibi Graetz. 2022 was a hot year and so Bibi decided to only use fruit from his north-facing vineyards. ‘The hot year gives me this material, even if it is up in the mountains, north-facing; the fruit has this kick.’ Precisely sculpted and very intense, Colore 2022 is both pillowy and bright. Dark berries, spice and blood orange are gathered up by a lingering, zesty finish. It's more closed than Testamatta at the moment, but should reveal more of its beauty in time.

The Bibi Graetz 2022 Colore sources its fruit from high-elevation vineyards in Lamole and from the Olmo Vineyard in Fiesole from vines at 400 meters above sea level. This vintage is a little darker in appearance, and you get more textural power and dark fruit intensity. It's also more open-knit in personality and broadly textured compared to the more vertical 2021 vintage that I prefer. This edition feels accessible and ready for near- and medium-term drinking thanks to the resolved and softened nature of its tannins.

Remarkably pretty, the 2022 Colore lifts from the glass with a bouquet of dusty violet and lavender tones complementing crushed blackberries as a mix of exotic spice and stone dust adds contrast. This is a more lifted and feminine interpretation, silken in feel with medium-bodied weight. Depths of mineral-infused wild berry fruits slowly add grippy traction toward the close. The 2022 finishes staining and long, with a blue and purple floral resonance. Hints of bitter blackberry tug at the cheeks.