Bibi Graetz’s Testamatta 2012 is a Toscana IGT red made from 100% Sangiovese, sourced from old hillside vineyards in Tuscany. In keeping with Graetz’s reputation for pushing beyond strict appellation rules, Testamatta is positioned as a modern Tuscan benchmark built on traditional fruit rather than international varieties. The estate describes fermentations with native yeasts in small open-top vessels with frequent punch-downs, followed by around 20 months in barrel.
Critics largely agree that the 2012 combines polish with structure. James Suckling gave an excellent 95 points, calling it “a silky and structured red” with “dark berries and lightly shaved chocolate,” adding that it is “full body” with “firm tannins and a persistent finish” and “zest and liveliness” (James Suckling, 8/5/2015). That review frames the wine as both substantial and energetic, with the tannins acting as a defining feature rather than a distraction.
Wine Spectator’s 94-point review is similarly strong and more explicit about élevage, noting “a good lashing of new oak” that brings “toast and vanilla notes” to “smoky black cherry and plum flavors” (Wine Spectator, 2/29/2016). The magazine highlights how those elements “augment” rather than dominate, and emphasizes that the wine “combines complexity, freshness and balance,” with “licorice, leather and tar chiming in on the firm finish.” Wine Spectator also reports production at 1,000 cases.
Jane Anson (92 points) adds useful context on the growing season, describing 2012 as “a challenging vintage” with hail, then heat and drought, producing “small berries with thick skins” (Jane Anson, 3/8/2022). Even so, she finds the wine “bright pale cherry red” at 10 years, with “ripe concentrated fruits, orange peel, cloves and rich sweet cherry flavours,” concluding that while it can feel “a little subdued overall,” there is “more life waiting to unfurl over the next few years.”
