Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco

Toscana IGT, Tuscany

Bibi Graetz spent on Isola del Giglio his childhood where he experienced the unique viticulture of the island. Testamatta Bianco was born thanks to the stories and knowledge the old farmers told him every morning while going to the vineyards together with their donkeys. After many years of research and hard work, selecting our white wines from the Ansonica grapes of the island, we realized we were ready to close the circle of Testamatta, producing alongside the red, the white version. Testamatta Bianco, produced for the first time in 2016, has already become a benchmark for white wines in Italy.

Tasting Notes

Testamatta 2021 is a pure expression of the Ansonica on Giglio Island. It delivers perfumes of sliced apple, peach and lemon peel while the 12 months of aging provide final hints of toasted spices. Testamatta 2021 encompasses the power of the vintage with a bright acidity and minerality given by the granitic soil. It's so energetic and vivid, it's like walking on Giglio 'slopes!

2021 season has been warmer than usual in Giglio Island, giving us a powerful and intense Testamatta 2021. Winter rains provided a great reserve of water and this helped avoiding any stress on the plants during growing and harvesting season. The growing season has been hot and dry with some rainy days. The refreshing sea breezes gave us grapes with right balancing between acidy and sugar but also led to very structured and generous wines. The harvest started at on August 20th (one week before as usual) and lasted for around ten days.

The handpicked grape was carried in small baskets to the winery, located in the centre of the island in Giglio Castello. After the destemming process and a very soft pressing with dry-ice, we left the skins with the juice for less than 1 hour. After this short period of maceration the must was decanted for approximately 48 hours at low temperature in stainless steel tanks and then moved to new 225L barriques for the alcoholic fermentation at 20°C. After the fermentation the wine aged with the lees for 12 months, without any malolactic fermentation and then bottled.

The grapes for Testamatta are sourced from the best vineyard on Isola del Giglio: Serrone. We can technically call Testamatta Bianco a "single-vineyard selection". Serrone is in the south-east part of the island, facing the sea at an altitude that goes from 60 to 150 meters a.s.l. terrace after terrace. The vines, up to 100 years old, have the shape of a very small goblet and are growing in the middle of the poor rocky granite soil of the island.

100% Ansonica

Bibi Graetz spent on Isola del Giglio his childhood where he experienced the unique viticulture of the island. Testamatta Bianco was born thanks to the stories and knowledge the old farmers told him every morning while going to the vineyards together with their donkeys. After many years of research and hard work, selecting our white wines from the Ansonica grapes of the island, we realized we were ready to close the circle of Testamatta, producing alongside the red, the white version. Testamatta Bianco, produced for the first time in 2016, has already become a benchmark for white wines in Italy.

Tasting Notes

The feeling when you taste a glass of Testamatta Bianco 2019 is like walking on the slopes near the sea on Giglio island where you can smell the perfumes of the Mediterranean bushes like the heather and the minty nuances of myrtle. The minerality given by the granite soil perfectly balanced with smoky oak hints provided by the barrique ageing.

2020 vintage has been one of the best we ever had in Giglio. Winter rains provided a great reserve of water and this helped avoiding any stress on the plants during growing and harvesting season. The growing season has been hot and dry with some important rainy days. This gave us heathy grapes with right balancing between acidy and sugar but also led to very structured and generous wines. The harvest started at the beginning of September (one week before as usual) and lasted for around ten days.

The handpicked grape was carried in small baskets to the winery, located in the centre of the island in Giglio Castello. After the destemming process and a very soft pressing with dry-ice, we left the skins with the juice for less than 1 hour. After this shot period of maceration the must was decanted for approximately 48 hours at low temperature in stainless steel tanks and then moved to new 225L barriques for the alcoholic fermentation at 20°C. After the fermentation the wine aged with the lees for 12 months, without any malolactic fermentation and then bottled.

The grapes for Testamatta are sourced from the best vineyard on Isola del Giglio: Serrone. We can technically call Testamatta Bianco a “single-vineyard selection”. Serrone is in the south-east part of the island, facing the sea at an altitude that goes from 60 to 150 meters altitude terrace after terrace. The vines, up to 100 years old, have the shape of a very small goblet and are grown in the middle of the poor rocky granite soil of the island.

100% Ansonica

2019 was a balanced vintage in line with some of the best harvests we had in the recent years. Winter was quite mild and temperate while we recorded a spring with lower than normal temperatures. May was wet and very cold. Summer was hot, very dry and stable. These factors allowed us to have very healthy grapes with a nice level of acidity and sugar, even if the yield was slightly reduced given the high heat and drought months. Of course, due to the rigid spring the harvest started later than usual and lasted till the late mid of October.

Tasting Notes

The very high quality level of the grapes produced a wine that concentrates all the distinctive aromas of Isola del Giglio: herbal notes, underwood, mentholated myrtle and vibrant minerality of the granite soil,  The body and finesse of the Ansonica grape variety is well-balanced with light tannins and hints of smoked oak.

2019 was a balanced vintage in line with some of the best harvests we had in the recent years. Winter was quite mild and temperate while we recorded a spring with lower than normal temperatures. May was wet and very cold. Summer was hot, very dry and stable. These factors allowed us to have very healthy grapes with a nice level of acidity and sugar, even if the yield was slightly reduced given the high heat and drought months. Of course, due to the rigid spring the harvest started later than usual and lasted till the late mid of October.

The grapes for Testamatta are sourced frm the best vineyard on Isola del Giglio: Serrone. We can technically call Testamatta Bianco a “single-vineyard selection”. Serrone is in the south-east part of the island, facing the sea at an altitude that goes from 60 to 150 meters altitude terrace after terrace. The vines, up to 100 years old, have the shape of a very small goblet and are grown in the middle of the poor rocky granite soil of the island. The handpicked grape was carried in small baskets to the winery, located in the centre of the island in Giglio Castello. After the destemming process and a very soft pressing with dry-ice, we left the skins with the juice for less than 1 hour. After this short period of maceration the must was decanted for approximately 48 hours at low temperature in stainless steel tanks and then moved to new 225L barriques for the alcoholic fermentation at 20°C. After the fermentation the wine aged with the lees for 12 months, without any malolactic fermentation and then bottled.

Goblet and Giglio's Technique.

100% Ansonica

Tasting Notes

Tight and focused, this white wine made of 100% Ansonica presents flavors of stone and minerals alongside lightly baked apples, hints of chocolate, and toasted oak.  Full-bodied and fresh.

Fermentation in French barriques.

Goblet and Giglio's Technique.

100% Ansonica

Tasting Notes

Tight and focused, this white wine made of 100% Ansonica presents flavors of stone and minerals alongside lightly baked apples; hints of chocolate; and toasted oak. Full bodied and fresh with an intense finish featuring a hint of smoke.

Fermentation and aging in French barriques.

From the Island of Giglio, 90 year-old vineyards on granite and sand soil with Goblet training system in Giglio's technique.

100% Ansonica

  • 2022-01-01

    95

    points

    James Suckling, January 2022

    "A linear and fresh white with lemon rind, dried pineapple and quince with peach, too. Some wet stone. It’s medium- to full-bodied. Phenolic and polished. Structured and flavorful, in a reserved way, at the end. Drink or hold."

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  • 2022-02-09

    92

    points

    Jeb Dunnuck, February 2022

    "Entirely made from Ansonica from Giglio Island, the 2021 Testamatta Bianco is sunny with tropical notes of pineapple, orange rind, a dark mineral profile, and sea spray. It has a full texture without being heavy and is lifted by its stony feel and crunchy salinity. This is a lovely and unique wine to drink over the next 6-8 years."

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  • 2021-11-16

    96

    points

    James Suckling, November 2021

    "A solid white with dried pear, apple, cream and stone aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied with a beautiful core of fruit and a steely, minerally aftertaste. Bright acidity with phenolic texture that holds the wine together nicely, giving it length and tension. Turns lightly chewy and round at the end. Drink or hold."

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  • 2021-01-14

    93

    points

    Wine Advocate, January 2021

    "The 2019 Testamatta Bianco is an open-knit and generous expression of Ansonica from various vineyards spread across the yellow granite stone island of Giglio off the Tuscan Coast. This wine is a little flatter compared to the Colore Bianco, with orchard fruit, melon, crushed pine nut and rosemary essence. The mouthfeel is broad and rich, spreading smoothly over the palate with creamy intensity and more nutty flavors. You wait for it, and there it is: that pretty note of Mediterranean salinity that pegs this wine to its island origins."

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  • 2020-10-27

    94

    points

    James Suckling, October 2020

    "A dense, layered white with tannin tension in the palate, which gives it definition and texture. Plenty of subtle lemon, stone and salty undertones. It’s full and racy with uniqueness that makes it really attractive. Drink or hold."

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  • 2019-11-07

    98

    points

    James Suckling, November 2019

    "This is another fantastic white and continues to be one of the best from Tuscany. It’s so perfumed with sliced apples, pears and kiwis, as well as cream, hot stone and sea. Granite. Full-bodied yet energetic and layered with red-wine sensibility. Extremely long finish. Great wine."

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  • 2019-08-30

    95+

    points

    Wine Advocate, August 2019

    "his wine is really quite terrific, and with 6,500 bottles made, it is easier to find (and more affordable) than Bibi Graetz's new single-vineyard expression of Ansonica, Colore Bianco. The 2018 Testamatta Bianco Isola del Giglio sees fruit blended from three bigger vineyard sites on Giglio Island and some smaller ones as well (Vigneto del Corvo, Scopeto, Ulivello, Radice and Le Grotte). In contrast to the Colore Bianco that revealed more consistency, the two bottles I sampled of this wine (one opened in the morning and one in the afternoon) showed very different results between them. The morning bottle was more fleshy and ample, while the just-opened bottle offered very linear notes of citrus, apple and white peach. Some of the grapes are harvested early, in order to maintain that total acidity, and used as a blending agent with the rest of the wine. Green harvesting is not practiced here, as each vine is left on its own to ripen. Bibi Graetz tells me that the 2018 vintage was much easier and gave more satisfaction compared to the difficult 2017 growing season. Of course, like any white wine from the Tuscan Coast, you get a distinctive layer of sea salt on the close—in this case, mixed in with some freshly milled white pepper."

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  • 2018-10-31

    92

    points

    Wine Spectator, October 2018

    "Intense, featuring a creamy texture, saturated with peach, apple, lemon and baking spice flavors. This is underscored by bracing acidity, and the finish fades gracefully, evoking a gentle seashore note. Shows terrific balance, texture and length. Decant. Drink now through 2024. 480 cases made, 150 cases imported."

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  • 2018-09-25

    95

    Points

    Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, September 2018

    "This is one of those wines that is so viscerally linked to a sense of place, you actually feel transported there when you taste it. The 2017 Testamatta Bianco Isola del Giglio takes you on a momentary holiday to the Serrone vineyard on the beautiful Giglio Island off the coast of Tuscany. This is a terrestrial paradise where azure sea waves lap up against rounded granite rocks dotted with prickly pears, caper shrubs and 90-year-old grapevines. Testamatta Bianco is a pure expression of Ansonica from this one vineyard site on the southern and most remote side of the island facing the open Tyrrhenian Sea. Grapes are harvested by hand in extreme conditions and are both fermented and aged in neutral oak, with a small part in stainless steel just to loosen the wine's texture up a bit. The bouquet offers fragrant tones of apricot, honey and candied orange peel. This is a medium to almost full-bodied white with a touch of tannic structure that adds a bit of crunch and snap to the palate. However, what I find most alluring of all are those briny, sea salt flavors that are so deftly put on prominent display. There is no other white wine quite like this. A mere 2,200 bottles exist. It tastes as if you were eating a beautifully ripe summer peach while splashing around in foamy sea surf."

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  • 2018-05-22

    98

    Points

    James Suckling, James Suckling, May 2018

    "Intense aromas of white pineapple, lemon peel, white peaches and stones with a seashell undertone. Full-bodied yet still agile and vivid, showing beautiful mouthfeel and length. Salty at the end. Love the finish. Pure and unique. One of Tuscany's top whites from the island of Giglio. Made from ansonica grapes."

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TRADE & MEDIA ASSETS /////////////////

2021 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco – 95 points, James Suckling – Sales Sheet

2021 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco – 95 points, James Suckling – Shelftalker

2021 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco – Vintage Notes

2020 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco – Vintage Notes

Bibi Graetz Logo

2019 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco – 94 pts, James Suckling & 93 pts, Wine Advocate – Sales Sheet

Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco – Label

2017 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco – 89pts, Wine Spectator – Sales Sheet

2017 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco – 98pts, James Suckling – Sales Sheet

2018 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco – 98pts, James Suckling – Sales Sheet

2018 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco-WA95 Sales Sheet

2017 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco-Label

2019 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco-Vintage Notes

Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco – Bottle

2017 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco-WA95 Sales Sheet

2017 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Bianco-Vintage Notes