2019 Grattamacco, Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy
Critics reviews
Black cherry, quite a lot of earthiness for a young wine too, then firmly tannic on the palate. This is dense and compact, with just-ripe black fruit giving less overt expression than the 2018. Likely to be very long-lived, and has a sense of complexity that is just under the surface. Will take its time, but there's going to be grand proportions here in future.
Drink 2026 – 2039
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com (November 2022)
The 2019 Bolgheri Superiore Grattamacco (a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 15% Sangiovese) is a real beauty and shows very nicely today based on advancing vine age alone. Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah vines show great results after seven years, whereas Merlot and Sangiovese vines need a few more years before they start to show that extra degree of complexity, the winemaking team tells me.
This is a complete and beautifully balanced wine that shows soft extraction and especially sweet tannins. It fermented in truncated conical oak vats and finished in barrique for 18 months. 60,000 bottles were produced.
Drink 2024 – 2045
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Dense and smooth, featuring black cherry, blackberry, plum, iron, licorice and menthol aromas and flavors. Fresh and featuring a spine of tannins, this finishes on the compact side for now. Shows balance, so be patient. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese.
Drink 2025 – 2040
Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator (September 2022)
About this WINE
Grattamacco
Grattamacco Estate is perched atop a hill facing the Tyrrhenian Sea between Castagneto Carducci and Bolgheri along the Maremma coast in Tuscany. Founded in 1977, Grattamacco was one of the first along with Sassicaia, to start producing wines in this region. Of the 80ha estate, 29ha are dedicated to vines. The 10ha of vineyards dedicated to making Grattamacco are located on steep slopes 100 metres above sea level.
The vineyards are protected from the strong winds by a natural valley and organic farming techniques are practiced. The vines have an average age of 20 years and only the best grapes from each vineyard are used to make this wine. 2017 Grattamacco is a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 15% Sangiovese.
The harvest is done by hand, vinification of the Sangiovese grapes take place in open wooden vats and stainless steel for the other two varieties. Manual punch downs are carried out to facilitate a gentle extraction of the tannins. The wine is then aged in French oak barriques for 18 months and a further 12 months in bottle.
Bolgheri
Bolgheri is a new DOC in the coastal Maremma region which first rose to prominence during the 1970s with the emergence of the so-called Super Tuscan wines like Ornellaia and Sassicaia. These new ventures had rocked the DOC establishment by using high proportions of Cabernet Sauvignon, opting out of the DOC system and relabeling their wines as simply Vino da Tavola (table wine).
Having won universal acclaim and exchanging hands for unprecedented prices (higher even than Tuscany's finest examples), the authorities relented and awarded Bolgheri its own DOC. The actions of the Super Tuscans inspired a generation in Italy, even if some of the wines here have lost a little of their lustre since.
Cabernet Sauvignon
The most famous red wine grape in the world and one of the most widely planted.
It is adaptable to a wide range of soils, although it performs particularly well on well-drained, low-fertile soils. It has small, dusty, black-blue berries with thick skins that produce deeply coloured, full-bodied wines with notable tannins. Its spiritual home is the Médoc and Graves regions of Bordeaux where it thrives on the well-drained gravel-rich soils producing tannic wines with piercing blackcurrant fruits that develop complex cedarwood and cigar box nuances when fully mature.
The grape is widely planted in California where Cabernet Sauvignon based wines are distinguished by their rich mixture of cassis, mint, eucalyptus and vanilla oak. It is planted across Australia and with particular success in Coonawarra where it is suited to the famed Terra Rossa soil. In Italy barrique aged Cabernet Sauvignon is a key component in Super Tuscans such as Tignanello and Sassicaia, either on its own or as part of a blend with Sangiovese.
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Description
Naturally fermented in open top tinelli, a blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon 20% Merlot 15% Sangiovese. The aromas are broad and complex; Cassis, wild mint, dried roses and cherry smoke lifted by the high-toned herbal notes of essential oils.
The palate is full of volume and texture, showcasing the quality of fruit, and the long period of maceration. Intense, but with incredible elegance, lip puckering cherry fruit, blackberries, graphite, liquorice, and vivid zip, softened and seasoned by sweet smoky spices of oak, deemed from almost 2 years in French barrique. This time in oak has smoothed edges, yet there is a fierce acid line giving tangy Tuscan charm. The finish is defined and long, showcasing the raw calibre of the terroir.
With 2019, we introduce a new benchmark for Grattamacco. A triumph from winemaker Luca Marrone, yet again surpassing the quality and longevity of other, more famous Bolgheri estates.
Drink 2025 – 2045
Davy Żyw, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd
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