The subtlety and perfumed nature of this wine is enchanting, offering flowers, orange peel and cherries. Wonderful ripe strawberries, too. Full-bodied, but not over the top, with tannins that are polished and run the length of the wine. It’s tight, but gives you every indication of a terrific wine. You want to drink it now, and you probably should do, because it’s so alluring. Yet it will age beautifully as well.
Bright and lively on the palate, such beautifully expressed raspberry and red cherry fruit flavours alongside high-shining acidity that is so clean and precise. A supremely joyful expression with hints of caramelised strawberries and fresh mint. So sharp but so well defined with a clarity to the palate that is gorgeous. Really delivers a sophisticated, charming, characterful wine that is balanced, easy to enjoy with plenty of life. A more structured and perhaps harder to understand wine than Testamatta this year, but both have their own lovely personalities. This is so complete and abundant, muscular but controlled and full of complexity and detail - there's weight and density without heaviness. A sensational wine. Ageing 12 months in 500l French oak barrels.
96 POINTS
Monica Larner - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
The Bibi Graetz 2020 Colore is a pure expression of Sangiovese all sourced from old vines that are carefully selected in various parts of Tuscany. Much of the fruit comes from a high elevation and cool site in Lamole, or from 70-year-old vines in Bagno a Ripoli or Vincigliata near Fiesole. A small percentage of old vines in Olmo is also used. Bibi has a preference for old vines, and you can taste the lovely depth and complexity that comes through in the Colore. Compared to his other wine Testamatta, this wine has seen fewer stylistic changes over the years, and the goal has always been elegance and finesse. Colore boasts a pretty luminous quality with dark fruit aromas and wild berry. There are hints of licorice and mint as well. Mineral flavors and bright acidity are what set Colore apart.
96 POINTS
Monica Larner - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
Bibi Graetz tells me the 2020 Colore is his favorite vintage of Colore, and although I agree that this wine is stunning, I find the tannins a little more open and granular compared to the tightly etched 2021 vintage that I personally prefer. That wine, to me, shows more length and overall tension. You get hints of that here too, but the overall delivery is linked to rounder fruit flavors of cassis, red and black currants and spice. Sangiovese from the Olmo vineyard is introduced this year and blended with fruit from Lamole, from 70-year-old plants in Bagno a Ripoli and Vincigliata near Fiesole. In 2020, Colore emerged as the higher-priced wine compared to Testamatta.
The 2020 Colore is spiced and pure, with vibrant ripe cherry, cinnamon, and cedar. There is elegance and ripeness within its medium frame, revealing notes of wild raspberry, dried herbs, and orange zest. There is another level of refinement from the Testamatta that will continue to improve over the coming 15-20 years.
95 POINTS
James Button - Decanter
Colore 2020 is full of fragrant spices and balsamic red and black cherries, with a touch of forest undergrowth. Vertical, sapid red fruits and some darker fruits in the background are accompanied by touches of cream, coffee and chocolate. The cushioned finish is salty and peppery, with a liquorice note. Tight and youthful, it arguably lacks a bit of character compared to 2021, tasted in the same lineup, but remains a deliciously vibrant Sangiovese.
Rich, bright ruby. Intense nose with notes of raspberry, rhubarb, beetroot, plum and cherry confit. Firm tannins in the attack and on the palate, fine raspberry and cherry fruit, good tension, some cinnamon on the finish, well made, juicy, but far from the concentration and complexity of other vintages.
94 POINTS
Eric Guido - Vinous
The 2020 Colore is pleasantly unexpected and is a total feminine beauty. When I anticipate power, it delivers grace with a stunning bouquet of freshly cut roses, blood orange, wild strawberries and sweet smoke. It's deeply textural, yet not heavy, feeling like crushed velvet gently draped across the palate, leaving mineral-tinged blackberries and currants in its wake. This finishes on a note of elegance with fine-grained tannins without slowing its momentum as spice notes slowly fade. The Colore is all old-vine (70 years or older) Sangiovese from vineyards Lamole, Vincigliata, Olmo and Siena.
