The last time we were in Chianti we bumped into Gianpoalo Motta. He showed us around his winery and gave us a look at the soil samples he had just done for his new vineyard. In the heart of Chianti Classico, here is a guy who does not care about DOCG and that famous rooster. In a region where the rooster means everything and is coveted by wineries, it also applies limitations to what happen in the vineyards and the winery. Gianpoalo cares about making great wine and if the DOCG limits his potential, he does not want it.
Pushing back on tradition cuts both ways. Decades ago in Barolo, Elio Altare was taking a chainsaw to his fathers botti. Frustrated with poor winery practice and a refusal to use modern approaches, he took matters to the extreme. What started as a revolution in winemaking, almost ruined a legacy, resulting in overworked wines that appealed to the US market which have little connection to the unique Barolo region. Today, Elio and his friends are not the revolutionaries, they are very much the establishment, and the push back from traditional growers such as Rinaldi, Cavallotto, Giacomo Conterno, and Bruno Giacosa makes them rockstars of Barolo. The anti-anti establishment.
The trend continues in Spain, with David Sampedro at Bodegas Bilhar. Tracking down ancient vineyards and bringing them back to life in Rioja. Bibi, Gianpoalo and David all steer the same ship. Meticulous detail in the vineyard and minimal intervention in the winemaking. Wild yeast and spontaneous fermentation.
Let’s be clear, I am no fan of the Natural Wine movement, and it is not just because of the ‘if everyone else thinks it’s great, I will hate it’ attitude. Bibi and company don’t even make the claim to be part of that crowd. There wines are pure expression of grape and vineyard, not a liscence to produce faulty, out of balance, shit wine that sits on the shelves with the convenient excuse of … Natural Wine.
Rant over.
I first heard about Bibi when I read an article in Decanter, back in March 2022. A vertical of the Testamatta from 2000 to 2019. Most of the time I just skim these articles, but Bibi has the anti establishment attitude I enjoy. Let’s be honest, Bibi is not the struggling self made, man of the land, type deal. He inherited a lot of what he has. To Bibi’s credit, he has taken the lion by the balls (his words, not mine) and sought out old vineyards and made them sing. He has the artist touch in the winery, and like all great winemakers, there is the heart of the vineyard in the bottle.
I am currently located in Dubai, before that, Kuala Lumpur. These wines are hard to get, although my friend Linus has made inroads into SE Asia with the Bodegas Bilhar wines. It is these wines I enjoy the most, the Bibi’s and the Gianpoalo’s who care little for black roosters and everything for great wine from magical vineyards. And if I have to travel all the way to Italy to drink them, well I will take one for the team.
We took the drive up to Fiesole to Bibi’s sales office. In an ideal world I would have purchased one of everything, but I am on a budget. The Casamatta is a definite and we grab a bottle of Soffocone di Vincigliata for a look at Bibi’s expression of the single vineyard vision. The budget will not stretch to the Colore.
To set the scene, we drank these wines in a remote Tuscan villa just outside of Montegonzi with views over the valley and the fire place blazing.
Tasting notes –
2021 Bibi Graetz Casamatta (Chianti, Italy)
This is an excellent expression of Sangiovese. From the youngest vineyards, the Casamatta offers excellent complexity from vines so young.
The grapes from these young vines are are handled with minimum intervention by Bibi. A new winery and a good 2021 vintage and it shows in the glass.
Natural fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks. Manual punch-down and daily pump over allowing for 7 days and no more maceration, depending on the vineyard. Blended and moved into stainless tanks for six months before bottling.
Cherries and sweet strawberries on the nose, some violets and graphite add to the complexity of the wine. The palate is balanced, with pure fruit and excellent acidity.
2020 Bibi Graetz Soffocone di Vincigliata (Chianti, Italy)
The only wine in the Graetz stable that carries the vineyard name. It is a special vineyard, the one that started Bibi’s journey back in 2000. The premium grapes from this vineyard make the flagship wine, Colore.
The vines are over fifty years old and the vineyard enjoys south west to south aspect. Surrounded by forests, the soil is primarily galestro rock. If you could write a list of what makes a great vineyard in Tuscany, this patch of land, at high elevation in Fiesole, would be that list.
Fermentation with indigenous yeasts was undertaken in large oak casks for around ten days. This lasted ten days and there is no temperature control, a further nod to the Graetz minimal winemaking approach. A few more days of maceration before aging in old oak casks for 18 months.
Vibrant and powerful yet remaining balanced. The nose is sweet cherries, violets and sweet tobacco. This wine has complexity and is engaging. The palate offers great structure, there is balance and elegance. The finish is long and silky. A superb wine that reflects a wonderful vineyard and a winemaker with a deft touch.
