2020 Balocchi di Colore | Case of 6

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.

- Eric Guido (2022)

A structured and linear red with black cherries and blackberries with some mineral undertones. Full-bodied, very long and racy. Lovely and pure with wonderful acidity. Sangiovese plot on the hillsides above Fiesole. New wine. Needs four or five years to come around. About 2,000 bottles made. Try after 2027. - 96 Punkte (2023)

BALOCCHI DI COLORE N°3
This is a wonderfully structured and pure colorino with dark fruits, dark chocolate, lavender, and orange blossom. A very unique wine. So fresh and energetic. Vivid. Goes on for minutes. Elegance with structure and length. Compacted and very long. A new single plot vineyard from above the Tuscan town of Fiesole. Try after 2027. - 97 Punkte (2023)

BALOCCHI DI COLORE N°8
This pure canaiolo shows freshness with lemon peel, stone and white pepper. Peppercorn undertones. Medium body. Tangy and spicy on the finish. Dried flowers, like rose petals. From a single vineyard plot above Fiesole. Drink or hold. - 95 Punkte (2023)

COLORE
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. Drink or hold. - 98 Punkte (2022)

COLORE
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. (2023)

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.

- Monica Larner (2022)