Province of Livorno
Established: 1977
Owner: Claudio Tipa
Winemaker: Maurizio Castelli
Production: 80,000 bottles
Hectares under vine: 13
Viticulture: Certified Organic
Located at Castagneto Carducci in Bolgheri – Italy’s ‘cradle of Cabernet’ – Grattamacco has delivered remarkable consistency since the first vintage in 1982. Situated about one kilometre from the Tyrrhennian coast, the vineyards are divided by soil type into seven micro zones and farmed organically.
The winery is ‘low tech’ with a simple approach: natural yeasts, gravity feed and fermentation in small open truncated cone-shaped oak vats, resulting in the gentlest possible extraction. The flagship wine, Bolgheri Rosso Superiore, is 65% Cabernet, 20% Merlot and 15% Sangiovese from the estate’s oldest vines (minimum 20 years). Concentrated and complex aromas range from blackberry, bramble and blueberry with perfectly integrated oak and elegant, sweet spicy notes. For a wine with great ageing capacity, it is incredibly enjoyable in its youth.
Bolgheri Rosso, their ‘vino secondo’, is 60% Cabernet, 20% Franc, 10% Merlot and 10% Sangiovese. Less time in oak makes this a more fruit-forward wine with a distinct Tuscan flavour of dark berry fruits, leather, spice and grilled herbs.