Grattamacco
Bolgheri Superiore Red Blend
Bolgheri, Livorno, Tuscany, Italy
Popped and poured; consumed over two days. Today, the 1989 Grattamacco pours a translucent light garnet color with a slightly watery rim. There is some browning around the edges. There is quite a bit of fine sediment (which some might prefer to decant off; we didn’t bother). Medium viscosity; no obvious staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is initially a bit musty, funky cherry and leathery, showing off predominately secondary characteristics. However, after 90 minutes of air it really started to brighten up and after the old musty character has lifted, the wine revealed beautiful desiccated cherries, black tea, mushrooms, leather, dry leaf tobacco, and just a touch of bell pepper. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium/medium+ acid. All of the notes from the nose are confirmed. The fruit is wizened but gives a perception of sweetness that is just lovely. The tannins are completely integrated and the acid gives everything a nice lift. The finish is long and elicits a Duchenne smile. A delightfully aged bottle with obviously super provenance (thank you Tim!). We spent several hours enjoying this wine and it only became more ruddy and seemed to gain freshness with air. Drink now and enjoy.
Popped and poured; consumed over two days. Today, the 1989 Grattamacco pours a translucent light garnet color with a slightly watery rim. There is some browning around the edges. There is quite a bit of fine sediment (which some might prefer to decant off; we didn’t bother). Medium viscosity; no obvious staining of the tears. On the nose, the wine is initially a bit musty, funky cherry and leathery, showing off predominately secondary characteristics. However, after 90 minutes of air it really started to brighten up and after the old musty character has lifted, the wine revealed beautiful desiccated cherries, black tea, mushrooms, leather, dry leaf tobacco, and just a touch of bell pepper. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium tannin and medium/medium+ acid. All of the notes from the nose are confirmed. The fruit is wizened but gives a perception of sweetness that is just lovely. The tannins are completely integrated and the acid gives everything a nice lift. The finish is long and elicits a Duchenne smile. A delightfully aged bottle with obviously super provenance (thank you Tim!). We spent several hours enjoying this wine and it only became more ruddy and seemed to gain freshness with air. Drink now and enjoy.
Feb 24th, 2023