- Grapes
- Sangiovese, Canaiolo
- Denomination
- Toscana IGT
- Region
- Tuscany
- ABV
- 14%
- Drink
- Now to 2040
Bibi Graetz's Gran Vin from over-80-year-old Sangiovese vines at Lamole, this Toscana IGT red is built only from the cellar's best barrels. Expect cherry, blackberry, violet and tobacco over galestro-driven structure. A collector-grade Tuscan bottle,
Prices read daily from 11 UK retailers. We earn a commission on some links; it never changes the order.
Where to buy Colore - Bibi Graetz
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Tasting Bibi Graetz Colore, old-vine Sangiovese from Lamole
Built from Sangiovese vines over 80 years old, Colore shows cherry, blackberry and violet over tobacco, leather and a galestro-driven core. The notes below draw on Bibi Graetz's own technical sheet.
- Tasted by
- ItalianWines editorial
- Tasted on
- 6 June 2026
- Source
- Drinker consensus · confidence Medium
- Typical of Sangiovese
Colore opens with lifted red and black fruit: cherry and strawberry alongside blackberry and blueberry. Behind the fruit sit violet, dried flowers and tobacco, the mark of Sangiovese vines over 80 years old at Lamole. Cedar and a touch of leather show the ageing in 225L oak barrels.
Deep and structured, this is built on galestro and clay soils above Fiesole. Sangiovese gives the spine and firm tannin, with Canaiolo lending a green-pepper lift and Colorino adding fruit and freshness. The 2022 sits at medium acidity and 14% alcohol after around 18 months in small oak barrels. So the wine feels powerful yet balanced rather than heavy.
The close is long and savoury: bitter cocoa, liquorice and oriental spice over a stony core from the crumbly schist-and-clay soil. Firm tannin keeps the finish gripping young, easing with cellar age.
Colore is Bibi Graetz's Gran Vin, drawn only from the best barrels of each vintage. It drinks the part: critics score it highly and drinkers like it, year after year. This is a collector-grade Tuscan red for special-occasion drinking and medium-term cellaring rather than an everyday bottle.
Buying Colore: vintages, formats and live prices
Colore lists from around GBP 158 a bottle and climbs steeply for older vintages such as the mature 2009. Compare the live retailer offers below across the 2009, 2020, 2021 and 2022 vintages.
Other vintages and formats: 9 price lines
75cl · 2009: £441.70, 1 UK retailer
75cl · 2016: £177.58 - £272.00, 2 UK retailers
75cl · 2019: £250.00, 1 UK retailer
75cl · 2020: £159.30 - £272.00, 4 UK retailers
75cl · 2021: £225.00, 1 UK retailer
Case of 3 · 2015: £183.58 per bottle, 1 UK retailer
Magnum 150cl · 2016: £308.00, 1 UK retailer
Magnum 150cl · 2018: £308.00, 1 UK retailer
Magnum 150cl · 2019: £308.00, 1 UK retailer
Italian Wine Fit Score for Bibi Graetz Colore
How this collector-grade Toscana IGT scores across food, value, beginner-friendliness, cellaring, everyday drinking and special occasions. The scores follow a fixed rule set.
Bibi Graetz's prestige Gran Vin, drawn only from the best barrels and carrying a 95/100 critic aggregate at collector pricing, scores at the top of the occasion band.
Medium-acid, firm-tannin old-vine Sangiovese pairs powerfully with Tuscan red meat, game, mushroom and aged cheese, scoring in the 80-95 band for structured reds.
Old-vine Sangiovese, around 18 months in small oak barrels, firm tannin and drink windows running to 2040 plus give this an ageing-grade cellar score in the 70-90 range.
At a lowest live price near GBP 158 this Gran Vin sits well above any Toscana IGT category benchmark. On price-to-category it lands in the lower value band despite its 95/100 critic quality.
A structured, oak-aged cult Tuscan red at collector pricing is an austere, advanced bottle rather than an easy first taste of a native grape, so it scores low for beginners.
Inverse of its high cellar score plus a steep price-band penalty above GBP 20 (it lists from GBP 158) makes this an occasion bottle, not an everyday pour.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.
Toscana in five fields
A compact view of what the Toscana denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
Colore vintage by vintage, 2009 to 2022
Bibi Graetz makes Colore only in vintages strong enough to deserve it. The 2021 leads recent critic scores at 96/100, the 2020 is the vintage drinkers have opened most, and the 2009 is now fully mature.
- Best price
- £158.00
- Retailers
- 6 in stock
- ABV
- 14.0%
- Window
- Drink now through 2040
Bibi Graetz reports 2022 ran cooler on average than 2021 but with sharper summer heat peaks; the high-altitude, wind-exposed Lamole and Olmo parcels avoided water and heat stress, so ripening was long and even. The result is an elegant Colore with medium acidity and balance rather than sheer power, aged around 18 months in barrique.
- Best price
- £225.00
- Retailers
- 1 in stock
- Window
- Drink now through 2042
2021 is the most highly rated recent Colore on the critic circuit, scoring around 96/100 on Wine-Searcher's aggregate. A classic, balanced Tuscan growing season gave deep colour and firm old-vine Sangiovese tannin, so this bottle wants several years of cellaring before it opens fully.
- Best price
- £159.30
- Retailers
- 4 in stock
- ABV
- 13.5%
- Window
- Drink now through 2038
The 2020 Colore is the most reviewed recent vintage on Vivino, holding a 4.3 average across more than 380 ratings and a 95/100 Wine-Searcher critic aggregate. A warm season gave a generous, perfumed style that is already approachable but holds structure for medium-term cellaring.
- Best price
- £250.00
- Retailers
- 2 in stock
Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.
Sangiovese tannin and galestro depth: dishes that fit Colore
Colore's firm old-vine tannin and savoury depth call for Tuscan red meat, game, mushroom and aged cheese. Each pairing below explains the structural reason it works.
Chargrilled Tuscan beef
The firm old-vine Sangiovese tannin in Colore needs the protein and char of a rare bistecca to soften and round out. The wine's galestro-driven structure stands up to seared, fatty beef where a lighter red would be flattened.
Try with: Fiorentina steak · tagliata di manzo · peposo · grilled ribeye · More pairings →
Slow-braised red meat
Colore's medium acidity and grippy tannin cut through the gelatinous richness of a long red-wine braise. The wine's savoury tobacco and leather notes echo the slow-cooked meat rather than fighting it.
Try with: Brasato al Barolo · peposo dell'Impruneta · stracotto · ossobuco · More pairings →
Earthy mushroom and truffle pasta
The forest-floor and dried-flower aromatics drinkers consistently find in Colore bridge directly to porcini and truffle. The wine's savoury depth mirrors the umami of mushroom and tartufo without overwhelming the dish.
Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · tagliatelle al tartufo · pappardelle ai funghi · More pairings →
Aged pecorino and hard cheese
The concentration of an old-vine, barrique-aged Tuscan red matches the salty intensity of a well-aged pecorino. Colore's tannin and fruit weight hold their own against a mature, crystalline cheese where a delicate wine would disappear.
Try with: Pecorino sardo e pan carasau · aged pecorino toscano · Parmigiano stagionato · More pairings →
Tuscan game and roast
Italian retailers pair Colore with game and roasts for good reason: the wine's structure and dark-spice profile carry the gamey intensity of wild boar or hare. The 14% alcohol and old-vine grip frame rich, slow-roasted meat.
Try with: Spezzatino di pecora · pappardelle al cinghiale · roast venison · lepre in salmì · More pairings →
Avoid delicate fish and chilli heat
Colore's firm tannin and barrique depth overpower delicate seafood, turning it metallic, and clash with chilli heat, which amplifies the wine's tannin and alcohol. Save this Gran Vin for red meat and earthy dishes, not lighter or spicy plates.
Skip with: raw oysters · sushi · vindaloo · sweet-and-sour pork · grilled sole · Pairing guide →
Cellaring Colore: drink windows to 2040 and beyond
The structured Sangiovese and oak ageing give Colore long cellar life. Recent vintages drink from around 2026 well into the late 2030s and 2040s.
Peak around 2032. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.
A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.
Aim for the cooler end on a warm day; warmer end opens up more aromatics.
Old-vine Sangiovese, around 18 months in small oak barrels, firm tannin and drink windows running to 2040 plus give this an ageing-grade cellar score in the 70-90 range.
£158.00 for a 75cl bottle of the 2022, at Berry Bros. & Rudd, is the best price we track, and we have no signal of further discounting.
Sources behind this Bibi Graetz Colore page
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 28 Oct 2026, 09:23 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighDrawn from published drinker ratings, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.
Confidence · MediumFrom the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.
Confidence · HighOur reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.
Confidence · MediumStyle guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.
Confidence · MediumExplore Sangiovese, Toscana IGT and Bibi Graetz
Common Questions
Colore is a Sangiovese-led Toscana IGT red. The 2022 is Sangiovese 96%, Canaiolo 3% and Colorino 1%, drawn from old vines over 80 years old at Lamole. Sangiovese gives the structure, Canaiolo a green-pepper spice and Colorino fruit and freshness.
Colore is Bibi Graetz's Gran Vin, made only from the best barrels of each vintage off ancient, low-yielding vines and aged in French oak barrels. High critic scores mean it is priced as a collector wine, from around GBP 158 a bottle upward.
Pair Colore with Tuscan red meat and game: chargrilled Fiorentina steak, slow-braised beef, wild boar pappardelle, porcini and truffle pasta, and aged pecorino. Its firm tannin and savoury depth need rich, earthy dishes and overpower delicate fish or chilli heat.
The structured old-vine Sangiovese and oak ageing give Colore real cellar life. Recent vintages such as 2021 and 2022 will drink well from around 2026 to 2040 or beyond. A mature vintage like 2009 is best enjoyed over the next couple of years.
No. It is a Sangiovese-led Tuscan red from the hills near Florence, but Colore is bottled as Toscana IGT rather than under a Chianti denomination. That gives Bibi Graetz freedom over blend and ageing for this flagship cuvee.
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