2022 Soffocone di Vincigliata, Bibi Graetz, Tuscany, Italy

I have not tasted this Bibi Graetz wine since the 2014 vintage. Featuring his artwork on the front label created when Bibi was a 23-year-old art student), the 2022 Soffocone di Vincigliata is all Sangiovese, mostly from his family's historic plots, both warm parcels and cooler parcels, near Fiesole in Vincigliata. This wine has made big improvements over the years. Showing a dark hue and extra concentration for the grape, it delivers blackberry, lead pencil and powdery tannins on the finish. It ages in oak for 18 months in Bibi's crazy hotel-turned-winery facility, but only 0.5% of the oak is new. The rest of the barrels are 20 years old or more. Bibi seeks oxygen exchange, and he vinifies his parcels separately. I asked him about coopers, but he says he is less interested in brands and uses a mix of barrels from all over.

Bibi Graetz is reducing his production numbers, going from 500,000 bottles produced in 2013 to less than half that number in recent years. His top-shelf Colore has been reduced from 50,000 bottles in 2020 to only 15,000 bottles now, with fruit sourced from two vineyard sites. He is committed to adopting what he calls "a more selective approach." As someone who has studied his portfolio for many years, I still have concerns over the ever-changing wines and the introduction of new products and the removal of others), which could cause confusion among consumers. As Bibi's new vineyard sites in Fiesole become mature, the portfolio will also consolidate.

Drink 2024 - 2033

Blueberries, minerals, violets and hints of graphite. Medium-bodied with very well-integrated tannins that give presence and beauty to it. Succulent and juicy. Polished, savory tannins add to the pleasure. Bright acidity, too. Drinkable now, but even better in a year or two.