2008 Grattamacco Podere Grattamacco Bolgheri Superiore 750 ml

Napa-Like Opulence and Classical Tuscan Structure

Is there a more coveted buy of the vintage than this rare, perfectly cellared Hall of Fame Super Tuscan from the region’s premier producer? Certainly the matching 94-point reviews suggest there isn’t. Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate called this flagship red a “beautifully delineated and articulate” bombshell that “impresses for its fabulous overall balance and understated, classy personality.” Wine Enthusiast matched the 94-point valuation for this “Cellar Selection,” sealing this bottle’s reputation as one of Tuscany’s most brilliant 2008 releases. Founded in 1977, Grattamacco is second only to Sassicaia as Bolgheri’s oldest Super Tuscan, blazing the path for the likes of Tignanello, Ornellaia, and Solaia. With its unique microclimate and dense soils, Tuscan connoisseurs will be hard-pressed to find another Sangiovese-infused Bordeaux blend as expressive of Bolgheri’s storied terroir as this one. Just 240 bottles to go around.

Winemaker Luca Marrone and owner Claudio Tipo (who also owns Montalcino’s famed, perennially high-scoring Poggio di Sotto) can afford to farm their 61 acres of vineyards organically thanks to a distinct maritime-influenced microclimate. The estate sits on a steep hilltop at the end of a long dirt road overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. Three hundred days a year, brisk ocean breezes comb the vines as the bright, dry Mediterranean sun beams from above, promoting exquisite ripeness and producing wines of Napa-like opulence with classical Tuscan structure and rusticity.

Grattamacco typically produces a fraction of the volume of fellow world-class Super Tuscans like Tignanello, making this cuvée all the more difficult to find, sip, savor, or cellar. Drinking gorgeously right now, straight from the cool and dark Grattamacco cellars, this is one offer Italian collectors can’t afford to pass up.