Just when one thought that the runners and riders for the March edition of La Place de Bordeaux’s ‘beyond Bordeaux’ campaign were finally assembled, Bibi Graetz has shocked the bookies and overturned the odds with not one, but three, late entries.

Even for Bibi Graetz, this is a staggering and breathtakingly original move that few if any had anticipated – even if there have been quite murmurings and whispers of something in the offing amongst seasoned watchers of La Place. It sees the Italian stallion of La Place and one of the greatest personalities of the world of fine wine bring his ‘toys’(balocchi) to the table with the release of three tiny production, single-vineyard, monocépage variants of Colore. The heart beats faster just at the thought of it. Kids Birthday Party Favors

The wines form a trilogy, the Balocchi di Colore (literally, ‘the toys of Colore’) and might be seen either as an homage to Colore or even as a deconstruction of Colore. For each is a pure expression of Colore’s essence but also one that shines the light on the constituents out of which is has been crafted over the last 20 years. The wines will be released on March 3rd and distributed exclusively through La Place in mixed cases of three bottles – just 900 or so in total – from the 2020 vintage. Bibi’s many followers and wine-lovers around the world will be salivating at the prospect.

I was lucky enough to be amongst the very first to taste these wines, with Bibi Graetz and his commercial director, Vincenzo d’Andrea at Vinexpo in Paris last week in a quiet corner of a negociant’s stand. I have been excitedly yet dutifully counting down the days until I could publish my notes ever since. The wines are truly spectacular, as my hastily scribbled and then slowly reworked tasting notes below attest.

But let’s talk first about the project itself. The idea is elegant in its simplicity and therein lies its joyous brilliance. It is to take just three barrels of each of the three varietals that has gone into the selection for Colore since its creation in 2000 (Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Colorino) and to bottle them separately – an initial choice made somewhat easier by the absence of both Canaiolo and Colorino from Colore itself in 2020.

But these are not just barrels that might have gone into the final blend. For the three barrels representing each varietal come from the very best terroirs of the constituent parcels of Colore.

And they have a special significance for Bibi Graetz too. The first, the Sangiovese, Balocchi di Colore No. 1 comes from the very first parcel planted by Bibi’s father in the Podere di Vincigliata vineyard [see the map below]. The Colorino, Balocchi di Colore No. 3, comes from the third parcel that he planted in the same vineyard. And the Canaiolo, Balocchi di Colore No. 8, comes – as you might now imagine – from the eighth parcel that he planted in the Podere dell’Olmo vineyard.

The project is clearly very close to Bibi’s heart, with the (beautiful) artwork that forms the basis of the labels having been painted by his first daughter, Margherita (for Balocchi di Colore No. 1), his third daughter, Ingrid (for Balocchi di Colore No. 3) and his youngest, 8 year-old, son, Ludovico (for Balocchi di Colore No. 8).

© 2023 Union Press Ltd | Wigglesworth House, Fourth Floor, 69 Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 9HH, UK Tel: +44 (0)20 7803 2420 Registered in England and Wales No. 03606414

It looks like you're in Asia, would you like to be redirected to the Drinks Business Asia edition?

Yes, take me to the Asia edition No

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings .

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

Advent Calendar Packaging Box If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.