2019 - Testamatta Rosso, Bibi Graetz, Toscana

Savoury, crunchy, cranberry and raspberry fruit, nuanced, fragrant, balanced and joyful and extremely easy to share and enjoy - fascinating also to taste alongside the 2006 Testamatta and see the evolution in confidence and expression, simpy allowing the fruit and the sense of place to shine. You can feel the love and meticulous winemaking that goes into Testamatta - at this point, 20 years on from the first vintage, gathering fruit from some of the oldest plots in Chianti, up to 80 years old. Natural yeasts, manual punch downs, 10 days maceration maximum and barrel ageing with no new oak.

The Bibi Graetz 2019 Testamatta is a little closed and shy. This is one of the first vintages in which Bibi did not do green harvest, a practice he has since avoided because he believes the vines find ideal balance when left alone. In fact, yields in 2017 were lower because of the heat, but they rebounded in 2019, with 20% more production. This wine has red fruits, currants and dusty mineral sensation to close.

Remarkable pale-garnet colour. Delicate black-cherry aroma following on to a more leathery and slaty palate with ample complexity and persistence. That mineral element is really charming – it reminds me of the granitic touch of northern Rhône, and there is similarly bright acidity too. (RH)