Podere Grattamacco Bolgheri Rosso 2016
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Pair with barbecues, meat dishes, mushroom risotto, and ripe mountain cheeses.
Blend: 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot, 10% Sangiovese
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Blackberries and blueberries on the nose. Some meat and cedar. Full body, round and juicy finish. Structured. A blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot and sangiovese. Drink in 2020.
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Wine Spectator
Black currant, black cherry, graphite, cedar and olive flavors are the hallmarks of this red. Though lean and sinewy, this is saturated, leaving a palate-staining finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Sangiovese. Best from 2021 through 2035.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Podere Grattamacco 2016 Bolgheri Rosso sees Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Sangiovese. This is a terrific expression that shows harmony and intensity all at once. This wine does not offer overt fruit. Instead, it moves forth with savory tones of spice, leather and tobacco. Black fruit and plum is tucked in there at the back. There is enough texture and natural fiber here to stop the wine from drying out or from feeling flat. This Tuscan blend should hold steady for the better part of the next decade.
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2021-
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Wine &
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James
Suckling
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James
Suckling -
Robert
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
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Wine
Spectator
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James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
Founded in 1977, and acquired by the Tipa Bertarelli Family in 2002, Grattamacco was one of first the two wineries in Bolgheri. A region typically known for Cabernet and Merlot, Grattamacco sets itself apart from surrounding wineries with its winemaking practices using 15% Sangiovese to impart quality and elegance in its wines. Grattamacco was not only the first winery in Bolgheri to use Sangiovese because of its high altitude despite its proximity to the coast, but also the first to plant Vermentino. Grattamacco wines are known for both their power, elegance and complexity that evolves with time.
Disenchanted with Italian winemaking laws in the 1970s, a few rebellious Tuscan winemakers decided to get creative. Instead of following tradition, to bottle Sangiovese by itself, they started blending it with international varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah in differing proportions and with amazing success. However, some Tuscan Blends don’t even include Sangiovese. Somm Secret—The suffix –aia in Italian modifies a word in much the same way –y acts in English. For example, a place with many stones (sassi) becomes Sassicaia. While not all Super Tuscan producer names end in –aia, they all share a certain coy nomenclature.
An outstanding wine region made famous by Marchese Mario Incisa della Rocchetta, who planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines for his own consumption in 1940s on his San Guido estate, and called the resulting wine, Sassicaia. Today the region’s Tuscan reds are based on Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which can be made as single varietal wines or blends. The local Sangiovese can make up no more than 50% of the blends. Today Sassicaia has its own DOC designation within the Bogheri DOC appellation.