2021 Contino Graciano

I loved the aromas of the varietal 2021 Graciano from the first time I put my nose in the glass. It was produced with grapes from their best plot—San Gregorio, planted in 1979—which delivered a wine with full ripeness (13.99% alcohol) but with extremely high acidity (8.3 grams!). It fermented in an oak vat, followed by malolactic in concrete where the wine rested for one month before being racked to foudres and barrels of different sizes where it completed two years before it was bottled. This is floral, aromatic, elegant, clean and complex, exuberant and powerful. But then it's only medium-bodied, with herbal freshness, abundant, fine-grained tannins and vibrant acidity. It's austere and maybe a little harsh, but I love it! It should age nicely in bottle and stand up to all kinds of food. One of the finest years for Graciano as far as I can remember. 5,326 bottles were filled in December 2023.