Bibi Graetz, Testamatta Rossa, Toscana 2022

The purity of fruit is so impressive, with al dente fruit character of sliced cherries, cranberries and citrus fruit that’s wonderfully melted together. It’s medium- to full-bodied and grows on the palate, with firm and layered tannins and a long, intense finish. This needs three to four years to refine but is already so enticing. Great beauty. Already irresistible, but best after 2027.

The production of both Testamatta and Colore was cut by two-thirds in 2022, partly because Bibi Graetz didn't want to use his south-facing vineyards in such a hot year. ‘I think there is more power, more energy,’ he says. Certainly, Testamatta is singing, and has closed the gap to Colore in 2022. It displays dusty, earthy notes, creamy dark cherry, green olive and spice on a vertical frame with stark salinity. It's precise and energetic, poised and balletic, with a beautiful vibrancy of tangy raspberry, cherry, wild herbs and a touch of plum.

Takes time to open up, a structured vintage of Testamatta, full of charm. Juicy, savoury, unfussy, white tea, sage, cranberry, red cherry, mandarin, delicious stuff from winemaker Bibi Graetz. Fermented and aged in a mix of 500l casks and 225l new oak barrels, natural yeasts, three punch downs per day, then into neutral oak barrels for 18 months before botting. Harvest September 15 to mid October.

With fruit picked at 400 meters in elevation, the Bibi Graetz 2022 Testamatta shows primary intensity and good tension with red fruits and cherry. There is a little more concentration here and more tannic bite, and the wine will need more time to resolve and find balance. All of Bibi's wines are made at his new winery located in a former hotel off the main square in Fiesole, Tuscany.

The 2022 Testamatta arrests your attention as it slowly evolves with a bouquet of dried flowers, worn leather, tobacco and dried cherries. This opens with a lovely inner sweetness and silky smooth textures as a core of juicy acidity adds energy and ripe red fruits saturate. A coating of fine tannins flexes upon the palate as the 2022 finishes with outstanding length and a licorice tinge, structured for a balanced evolution. Beautiful.