96 Points, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Coming on the heels of the scorching hot 2017, this vintage started off with lots of rain in April and May that required preventative measures against fungal disease. Splendid heat and sunshine marked the summer months, but the freshness you taste in this wine is a beautiful characteristic of this cooler growing season. The 2018 Bolgheri Superiore Grattamacco reveals a finely nuanced bouquet with dark fruit, tobacco, smoke and earthy garrigue or underbrush. The wine leans toward full-bodied, but it also feels quite elegant and crisp on the streamlined finish. Best after 2023.
96 Points, Wine & Spirits
This wine is packed with pure flavors of blackcurrant and raspberry buoyed by brisk acidity. A blend of cabernet sauvignon with 20 percent merlot and 15 percent sangiovese, Grattamacco aged in French oak barriques, about one-third new, where the lightly chewy tannins developed, giving shape to the bold, primary frut tones. The wine takes on notes of graphite and fresh tobacco, while lively spices energize the fruit, drawing out the flavors on a long, exuberant finish.
96 Points, James Suckling
With a nose that is more lifted and driven by Sangiovese, the 2018 Grattamacco is fresh with menthol, pine, and red cherry. The structure lends more to the medium-bodied side, with a linear feel, but the wine is fantastic for its elegance and transparency. It reveals a cooling wet stone minerality and texture, with vibrant energy and fine tannins, and it is savory with dried herbs on the finish.