The Wine
Grattamacco’s Bolgheri Rosso Superiore is iconic in Bolgheri, Italy, and beyond. The flagship wine of the estate, this was the second important wine to come from the Bolgheri area following Sassicaia. Grattamacco was founded in 1977 and was the second winery of the Bolgheri appellation, following Sassicaia.The winery lies on a rise between Castagneto Carducci and Bolgheri, with a panoramic view of the Tuscan coast. The Grattamacco vineyards are located at about 330 ft. above sea level, in a wonderfully protected plot that spans over one of Bolgheri's only two hills, and is surrounded by other internationally renowned Bolgheri properties. 2017 marks the 35th vintage of this historic wine. This significant anniversary is commemorated with a special, one-vintage-only label. A wine produced from vineyards at 100 and 200 m. asl, where the soil is characterized by calcareous sandstone, marl and calcareous flysch mixed to clay. The climate is temperate Mediterranean with frequent sea breezes.
Vineyards and Winemaking
Training method: Guyot Cordon Spur-pruned.
Elevation: 330-720 feet
Exposure: Various
Year vineyard planted: 1989-2002
Harvest time: late September
First vintage of this wine: 1979
Bottles produced of this wine: 65,000
Average Wine Age: 24 years
Varietal composition: 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 15% Sangiovese Fermentation container: conical oak vat
Length of alcoholic fermentation: 15 days
Fermentation temperature: 75-86 °F
Maceration technique: Punchdown
Length of maceration: 28 days
Malolactic fermentation: Yes
Fining agent: no fining
Type of aging container: Barriques
Size of aging container: 225 L
Age of aging container: 30%new oak, 50% second use, 20% third use
Type of oak: French
Length of aging before bottling: 21 months
Length of bottle aging: 6 month
Tasting notes
The olfactory impact is of considerable aromatic intensity: it expands with notes of small, fully ripe red fruits, accompanied by clear balsamic and Mediterranean hints. In progression, typical mineral notes develop. The gustatory impact is austere, of remarkable freshness and of large volume. It develops in a balanced fusion between the broad minerality and the fine and enveloping tannins. Everything is found in the long final persistence that foreshadows a long life ahead.