2008 Bolgheri Rosso Superiore Grattamacco

65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 15% Sangiovese. According to Winemaker Luca Marrone it would be ‘very difficult to repeat this [cool] vintage nowadays’. There was an especially cool September after sudden cold weather at the end of August, so sugar ripening stopped but not the phenolic ripening and acidity was preserved. ‘At the beginning the 2008s were undervalued but they proved themselves in the end’. A cool, rainy winter ushered in the 2008 season, but budbreak occurred on schedule. Spring rains during flowering delayed fruit set and therefore the final crop was decreased. Intense heat characterised summer, with almost no rainfall through the initial third of September. Nonetheless, veraison and ripening proceeded normally, with the cool nights necessary for good development of aromas and pigmentation. Tramontana winds in mid September lowered temperatures, and the cool, breezy, but sunny weather was especially favourable for the late-ripening varieties, such as Sangiovese and Cabernet, which were able to complete their ripening process and accumulate impressive levels of polyphenols and aromatic precursors. Aged for 18 months in barrique. Bottle refinement 12 months minimum. Deep blackish ruby. Treacle and lavender on the nose. There’s an undertow of something (pleasantly) mineral/metallic. Very sappy and appetising. Smooth texture. (JR)

Here's another special peek back in time. The 2008 Bolgheri Superiore Grattamacco is drinking beautifully right now and is so much fun with an ever-changing and fluid bouquet. The wine shows a steady continuum of aromas that start off with licorice, mint, balsam herb and eucalyptus and eventually transition into blue flower, rose and lavender. There's a lot to put into words. On the palate, the wine is silky, polished and long. This is a special vintage from Grattamacco that started off as an underdog, but it proves its cellar worth today in grand style.

The flagship 2008 Bolgheri Superiore Grattamacco is beautifully delineated and articulate in this vintage. Sweet red cherries, flowers, spices and licorice are some of the notes that emerge from the glass. This is a decidedly bright, elegant Grattamacco that impresses for its fabulous overall balance and understated, classy personality. Firm, yet well integrated tannins and insistent minerality suggest the wine will drink well for many years, although to tell the truth, it is pretty delicious today. Grattamacco is Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese.