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,
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 synthesise Bibi Graetz's own tech sheet with the Vivino drinker consensus.
Colore opens with the lifted red and black fruit Vivino drinkers flag most: cherry and strawberry alongside blackberry and blueberry. Behind the fruit sit the violet, dried-flower and tobacco notes the producer ties to old Sangiovese vines over 80 years at Lamole. Cedar and a touch of leather show the influence of ageing in 225L barriques.
Violet
Blackberry
Blueberry
Cherry
Tobacco
Leather
Black pepper
Liquorice
CocoaDeep 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 barrique, so the wine feels powerful yet balanced rather than heavy.
The close is long and savoury, drinkers and Italian critics noting bitter cocoa, liquorice and oriental spice over a mineral, galestro-driven core. 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, and it drinks the part: 95 out of 100 on the Wine-Searcher critic aggregate and 4.3 on Vivino across more than 2,400 ratings. This is a collector-grade Tuscan red for special-occasion drinking and medium-term cellaring rather than an everyday bottle.
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.
How this collector-grade Toscana IGT scores across food, value, beginner-friendliness, cellaring, everyday drinking and special occasions, scored on a deterministic 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 barrique, 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, so on price-to-category it lands in the lower value band despite its 95/100 critic quality.
Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our editorial methodology.
A compact view of what the Toscana denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.
Compare tracked offers from verified retailers at a glance. Stock is shown only where the retailer exposes it. Logos, sale pricing, and the strongest offer are surfaced first.
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 most-reviewed on Vivino, and the 2009 is now fully mature.
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.
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.
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.
A warm 2009 season in Tuscany delivered a rich, generous Colore that is now fully mature. At this age the old-vine Sangiovese fruit has turned towards dried cherry, leather and forest floor, so this is a bottle to drink over the next couple of years rather than to lay down.
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.
Colore is drawn only from the best barrels of each harvest off ancient Lamole and Olmo vines, then aged around 18 months in French oak barrique. The card below breaks down what sits behind the price.
Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.
Toscana is in the IGT tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.
Toscana falls within Tuscany , covering Tuscany.
Colore is sourced from ancient, deep-rooted Sangiovese vines over 80 years old; their tiny yields concentrate the fruit but produce very few bottles, a primary reason this sits far above ordinary Toscana IGT pricing.
Bibi Graetz declares only the best barrels of each harvest as Colore, after a second hand-selection at the winery before destemming. That severe selection sacrifices volume for purity and lifts the cost per bottle.
The 2022 was fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged roughly 18 months in 225L barriques and 50hl casks; new and old French oak plus the long cellar hold add real barrel and capital cost.
A 95/100 Wine-Searcher critic aggregate and 4.3 on Vivino across 2,400-plus ratings give Colore strong secondary-market pull, which keeps shelf prices firm from around GBP 158 upward.
UK alcohol duty at the 2026 rate of GBP 2.67 on a still wine up to 15% ABV, plus 20% VAT, adds roughly GBP 29 of tax to the lowest GBP 158 listing before any retailer margin.
Bottling as Toscana IGT rather than a DOCG spares Colore mandated release-tasting fees and consortium costs, a small saving against an otherwise premium cost base.
Dishes that complement this wine
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.
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
The structured Sangiovese and barrique ageing give Colore long cellar life, with recent vintages drinking 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.
Old-vine Sangiovese, around 18 months in barrique, firm tannin and drink windows running to 2040 plus give this an ageing-grade cellar score in the 70-90 range.
£158.00 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.
Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 7 Jun 2026, 14:31 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.
Confidence · HighDrawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, 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 · MediumColore 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 barrique. With a 95/100 critic aggregate on Wine-Searcher 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 barrique ageing give Colore real cellar life. Recent vintages such as 2021 and 2022 will drink well from around 2026 to 2040 or beyond, while a mature vintage like 2009 is best enjoyed over the next couple of years.
No. Although it is a Sangiovese-led Tuscan red from the hills near Florence, Colore is bottled as Toscana IGT rather than under a Chianti denomination, which gives Bibi Graetz freedom over blend and ageing for this flagship cuvee.
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