“Bibi Graetz has been making wine in Tuscany for 13 years. Like a botanist in a remote jungle, searching for that undiscovered gem, Bibi restlessly searches for every possible unexplored patch of old vines in Tuscany. Bibi’s flagship wine Testamatta is a blend of old vineyards he acquired around Tuscany and newer vines from his property in Fiesole, Florence.

“In this video, Bibi and James travel to his oldest vineyard of all next to the village of Lamole in Chianti Classico. The sangiovese vines are 76 years old, but despite their longevity they are not as robust as one would think. One of the reasons for this is the sandy soil where the vines rest. Its loose constitution causes the rain to wash out the nutrients, making the vines struggle in their development. They remain, as you can see in the video, fragile yet slender.

“Watch the video to find out why it’s these vines that form part of such a high-scoring wine like Testamatta.”