Bolgheri Rosso Superiore 'Grattamacco' 2022

Amongst Bolgheri wine estates, Grattamacco has always been a pioneering soul. When it was established in 1977, only one other winery existed in what today is considered to be one of the world's most prestigious wine zones.

Grattamacco stands on some of the highest ground in the Bolgheri, perched on the hills between Castagneto Carducci and Bolgheri with sweeping views of the Tuscan coast. But this was by no means an agricultural promised land. The regions hard, infertile soils are alluded to even in its name. 'Macco' refers to the tough sandstone and limestone rocks so "Gratta-macco" literally means 'to scrape away at hard stone'.

The wine is 65% Cabernet, 20% Merlot and 15% Sangiovese. Vinification begins in open truncated cone shaped vats, followed by malolactic and maturation in barriques of first and second passage for 18 months.  Complex aromas range from blackberry, plums, herbs, coffee and leather with perfectly integrated oak and sweet, spicy notes.  The palate is long and persistent and, for a wine with great ageing capacity, it is incredibly enjoyable in its youth.

Grattamacco pours a more youthful red/purple hue and opens to a more blue-fruited nature at this early stage, with sweetly perfumed aromas of blackberry, violet candies, pressed sage, and fresh earth. The palate is gorgeous and full, with velvety tannins, a youthful plushness of fruit, and its characteristic savory elements highlighting the wine with a long, balanced finish. It's a very even wine but does show the stress of a hot year with late rains. It feels like the duck on water - graceful and peaceful above water, while underneath it has the structure to go the distance. It's reminiscent of the 2012, although it seems to have more cushion. 98 points, Audrey Frick