2022 Colore Bianco
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Tasting notes
The lovely Bibi Graetz 2022 Colore Bianco is an aspirational wine for sure (just look at its price tag) that seeks to send a specific message about a little-known and very precious wine territory. Ansonica grapes come from the island of Giglio off the Tuscan Coast, and although this little paradise is steadily growing in interest, it only counts a handful of wine producers (nine in total) who operate there. Bibi Graetz is totally in love with Giglio Island and has been purchasing abandoned vineyards on handmade terraces whenever possible. Some of his sites are drop-dead gorgeous, with infinite views of the sea. The 2022 vintage is the third year in a row of consistent summer heat, but the island microclimate benefits from breezes that keep things from heating up too much. In fact, temperatures here remain quite stable which helps because there is very little rainfall. This wine has a direct and vertical character (compared to Testamatta) with pretty richness. This wine also sees more oak (and no stainless steel), making it the bigger wine, structurally speaking. It offers tropical tones of papaya, gooseberry and green melon with salted caramel and spicy saffron. The vintage needs a lick more freshness. Production is a mere 2,400 bottles.
Critic scores
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Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux
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Bibi Graetz here takes the little known Ansonica grape and gives it the Colore twist. Restrained aromatics, lightly poached savoury pear for the dominant flavours, fresh acidities, white pepper and cloves, edges of bay leaf, understated and unusual. This is elegant, with stature and texture Has precision and clarity of flavour, with a salt-licked signoff, strongly recommend a half hour carafe before drinking, because this needs time to show its complexity - it was even more delicious the next day, always a sign of a great wine that has enough structure and complexity to age.
About the producer
Based just outside Florence, Bibi Graetz is something of a maverick in the Tuscan wine scene. Working with old vineyards of indigenous grapes around Chianti, he produces intense wines classified as IGT Toscana; not fitting neatly in either the Super Tuscan or Chianti camp.