Reviews
Robert Parker 90
To Bibi Graetz, the NV Bollamatta is all about fun. The wine is crazy fun to make (he tells me) and crazy fun to drink (I can confirm). Made in the Charmat method, this cheerful Italian sparkler is a blend of 90% Sangiovese and 10% Trebbiano. It opens to a pale pink color and delivers large, round bubbles that are tonic and sharp. The bouquet reveals wild berry, citrus and raw almond. The wine is extremely refreshing, and those prominent bubbles serve to brighten and liven up the palate. This wine follows in the footsteps of one of Italy's most irresistible and successful wine trends: the everyday sparkling wine.
by ML, Robert Parker , 2018
James Suckling 91
This is more of a rosé with bubbles than a sparkling rosé and I like it. Very fun and refreshing. Medium-bodied, fruity, yet crisp and entertaining. Delicious fruit/acid balance. Sangiovese. Try it!
by JS, James Suckling , 2017
Technical Details
Description
Bright red fruits, succulent stone fruits, and a kiss of citrus dance with wildflowers, toasted bread, and melon in the effortless, elegant sparkling Bollamatta from Bibi Graetz. Bollamatta, or “crazy bubble” in English, is a rare Sangiovese sparkler, and this wine balances its juicy fruits with bracing acidity as it fills the mouth with tiny, persistent perlage. This sparkling wine is a mono-varietal Sangiovese crafted from the green harvest grapes for the estate’s Testamatta and Colore wines. This very dry non-vintage sparkling wine is ideal for aperitive.
Estate
From a medieval castle, Castello di Vincigliata, acquired by his parents over 60 years ago, winemaker Bibi Graetz crafts his wines on a hillside overlooking the great city of Florence. Beginning initially with only a small, 5-acre vineyard on this hillside in Fiesole, in little under two decades, Bibi has become one of Italy's most ingenious winemakers adding "cult winemaker" in addition to "talented abstract artist" to his dossier.
Since the release of his first wines in 2000 and without any formal training, Bibi Graetz has managed to stir-up the Tuscan wine scene, and with the creation of Testamatta and Colore, has made his name eponymous with great Tuscan wines. Regularly scoring in the high 90’s with wine publications like Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate, and James Suckling, coupled with his unique and artisanal winemaking approach, Bibi Graetz’s wines have garnered a loyal following among wine collectors and wine trade.
Tasting notes
“I love this expression of sangiovese. I can feel a rich aroma and plentiness
of fruits. It is fresh, fine and very well balanced in the mouth with a long and
surprising aftertaste. The Long Charmat Method gave us a very elegant and
delightful perlage.” Bibi Graetz, winemaker & owner
Technical data
Vincigliata, Fiesole and Siena vineyards
100% Sangiovese
50-80 years old vines
Medium mixture soil, rich of galestro and clay
Guyot and goblet
Stainless steel tanks Charmat method
Vinification
Bollamatta is our sparkling sangiovese, realised with the green harvesting of
the old vineyards, 50-80 years old - dedicated to Testamatta and Colore
production. In fact, the thinning process of the bunches is done slightly late in
order to have the perfect concentration of sugar to realise a sparkling wine.
Moreover, it also a process of recovering all these bunches, generally thrown
away.
Once the harvesting is done, we destem and a very soft press the berries. Then
we leave the skins with the juice to decant for 4-5 hours, in order to extract
aromas and colour. The fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at
controlled temperature. The prise de mousse - second fermentation - is
obtained by natural fermentation in autoclave using the wine left in contact
with its lees. This process is longer than usual, 5-6 months, therefore, this
sparkling wine is classified as a long Charmat method.