96 points

2017 Ricasoli CeniPrimo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG

Nick Stock, James Suckling, July 2020

“This is very perfumed and fruity with cherries, light currants and just a hint of vanilla. It’s medium-bodied with tight, polished and silky tannins and a flavorful finish. Creamy and refined, yet structured. Subtle and very, very long. Drink or hold.”

95 points

2017 Ricasoli Roncicone Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG

Nick Stock, James Suckling, July 2020

“This is so perfumed – the red fruit and flowers just jump out of the glass. So aromatic. Full-bodied, yet the precise, fine tannins just melt into the glass and spread wide across the palate. A gorgeous wine. Drink or hold.”

92 points

2017 Ricasoli Brolio Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG

Nick Stock, James Suckling, July 2020

“A fresh, firm 2017 with blackberry, blueberry and dark-chocolate character. It’s medium-to full-bodied with chewy tannins and a fresh, tangy finish. Like the light bitter lemon at the finish. Drink now.”

96+ points

2016 Bibi Graetz Colore Rosso

Monica Larner, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, August 2019

“A blend of Sangiovese (at about 80% of the mix), Canaiolo and Colorino from three far-removed vineyard parcels in different areas of Tuscany, the 2016 Colore is something of a pan-Tuscan wine. This ambitious wine gives voice to three of the region's most important red grape varieties as well as its most diverse territories (Lamole in Chianti Classico, Vincigliata near Florence and Siena province in the southern part of Tuscany). As a result, this is a statement wine with a lot to say to those careful enough to listen. It's important to be attentive to the details, the small berry fruit aromas that intermingle with nuances of spice, granite stone and pressed blue flower. Pure summer cherry is the dominant aroma on first nose, but it slowly disintegrates as the wine takes on more air to reveal those lighter and more delicate aromas at the back. This vintage offers an ideal dose of structure matched against freshness. Bibi Graetz tells me that fruit in 2015 was beautiful, perfect to look at. Fruit in 2016, however, appeared more sculpted with more darkness and weight. On some level, those descriptions also apply to the character of these two gorgeous back-to-back vintages. Some 6,000 bottles were made.”

95+ points

2016 Ricasoli Roncicone Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG

Monica Larner, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, September 2019

“Here is a new exciting wine from Francesco Ricasoli that represents the hands-on results of a long zoning and research project underway at this estate to better understand the potential of each single vineyard within the greater Castello di Brolio property. The 2016 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello di Brolio Roncicone is a soft and velvety expression with a long bouquet of dark and purple fruit, tilled earth, spice and tobacco. The wine offers volume, grit and a more accessible or sweet tannin. This is a great steak wine made from 100% Sangiovese that was aged in 500-liter tonneaux (with 30% new oak and 70% used barrel). Some 6,000 bottles were made. This vineyard site is rich in marine fossils.”

93+ points

2015 Ricasoli Castello di Brolio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG

Monica Larner, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, October 2018

“The 2015 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello di Brolio takes a few minutes to open and settle in the glass. The bouquet here is redolent of pressed cherry and dried blackberry with underbrush, dark spice, forest floor and even a touch of wild porcino mushroom. The mouthfeel is smooth and loosely textured, which gives the wine an accessible and immediate personality. These vineyard sites in Gaiole in Chianti are characterized by crushed alberese rock soils. These unique growing conditions always add to the focus and the sharpness of the aromas. This wine is a blend of 90% Sangiovese with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Petit Verdot. Some 40,000 bottles were made.”

97 points

2015 Bibi Graetz Colore Rosso

Monica Larner, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, September 2018

“The 2015 Colore is a breakthrough wine for Bibi Graetz and his unique approach to winemaking and fruit sourcing. Remember, this renegade Tuscan vintner dedicates much of his intellectual effort to discovering the ancient vines and vineyards he wants to farm. He is like a high level garagiste who does not pretend to limit his fruit selection to vines under his direct ownership. This affords a level of versatility and range that is not common to the many family-owned estates of Italian viticulture that focus their efforts on their own land. Colore is a blend of equal parts Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino from three sites (Lamole, Vincigliata and Siena). The 2013 and 2014 vintages were skipped, and Bibi Graetz has moved forward directly to 2015. I tasted this wine from four bottles: one opened the previous day at lunch, one opened the night before, one opened that morning and one opened just before I poured the sample into may glass. This approach awarded an interesting panoramic view of the wine's evolution, but in truth, it did not change as much as you might think. I mean this in a positive way, because the wine in no way tasted flat or oxidative. Of course, the recently opened bottles showed some nervous and rigid qualities, whereas the bottles that had been open longer were softer, more expressive and more fleshed out. Colore offers dark and determined quality of fruit with layered tones of ripe cherry, dried blackberry, spice and grilled herb. Elegant mineral tones also appear. This is a unique wine with a personality that marries a wild side to a sophisticated one. This is a singular Tuscan red”

96 points

2019 Bibi Graetz Colore Rosso

Monica Larner, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, August 2021

“Dressed for a party, the Bibi Graetz 2019 Colore celebrates the estate's 20th anniversary with a special commemorative (2000-2019) bottle. This vintage of Colore is 100% Sangiovese (the small part of Colorino in the blend we saw last year has been removed) because Bibi thought the Sangiovese elegant enough to stand alone. Fruit comes from three vineyard sites with 70-, 80- and 90-year-old vines, respectively. The wine offers big intensity and beautifully lifted aromas and more textural support than we saw in the slightly thinner 2018 vintage. The bouquet reveals balsam herb, cassis, pressed rose, garden mint and crushed stone. Fruit from the southern-most site, Poggio Matto in Casciano del Murlo (in the province of Siena), was blended in at a greater percentage to help build the structure and momentum of this cellar-worthy wine.”

96 points

2016 Ricasoli CeniPrimo Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG

Monica Larner, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, September 2019

“This is the third of the single-vineyard Gran Selezione wines now being offered by Barone Ricasoli. Of the three, the 2016 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Castello di Brolio CeniPrimo is my favorite. This is also 100% Sangiovese and 6,000 bottles were made. The bouquet is bright and direct with a slightly wild or untamed side. I picked up notes of crushed white pepper and rosemary essence. You also get a distinct mineral note of slate or black rock. All this tops off a plummy fruit core in this pretty wine. Pair it with a Tuscan sausage and bean dish.”

96 points

2016 Bibi Graetz Testamatta Rosso

Monica Larner, Robert Parker Wine Advocate, September 2018

“This wine will be released in March 2019. The 2016 Testamatta represents a blend of fruit from old vines spread across the various vineyard holdings farmed by Bibi Graetz in both the Siena and Firenze provinces of Tuscany. These holdings include plots in Vincigliata (home base to Bibi Graetz and his family just outside of Florence), Lamole, Londa, Montefili and Siena. Many of the vines used here are 80 years old or more, and each site represents a cultural and enological patrimony that was specifically selected for its individual character or uniqueness. There is an unescapable metaphor in the many primary colors that blend or bleed into each other to form a single piece of art that is depicted on the front label of this handsome bottle. Testamatta reaches impeccable harmony in similar fashion. I tasted this wine on three separate occasions and was blown away each time. There is a seductively wild side to the wine that comes forth with chiseled intensity. Dark fruit, spice, tar, licorice and toasted spice make for a beautifully elegant bouquet. The mouthfeel remains mid-weight in approach, with polished tannins and a tightly knit texture that should relax and grow in volume as the wine evolves in the bottle. Some 60,000 bottles were made.”