Grattamacco

Foundation and first vintage

Grattamacco was founded in 1977 on a hill overlooking the sea between Castagneto Carducci and Bolgheri. Established during the formative years of modern winegrowing in the Bolgheri area, the estate focused on Cabernet Sauvignon while retaining Merlot and the Tuscan variety Sangiovese within its red-wine programme.

The first vintage was produced in 1982. It combined Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese, establishing the three-variety composition associated with the estate’s historic red label.

Joining the ColleMassari Domaine

In 2002, Grattamacco became part of the Tuscan Domaine created by siblings Maria Iris Tipa and Claudio Tipa. Within that family project it remained a distinct Bolgheri estate, separate from the group’s properties in Montecucco and Montalcino.

Grattamacco stands at approximately 100 metres above sea level, on the summit of a hill facing the sea between Castagneto Carducci and Bolgheri. The position gives the estate a dry, mild climate and pronounced temperature differences, particularly toward the end of summer.

The vineyards occupy steep, rolling ground with an average gradient of 8%. They sit within a naturally sheltered setting protected from strong winds arriving from the sea. The estate covers 74 hectares: 27 hectares of vineyards, 10 hectares of olive groves and a remaining area of woodland adjoining a forested zone of approximately 1,600 hectares.

Three principal soil environments are distinguished across the vineyards:

• silt and red sand in the vineyard named Alberello;
• calcareous-marly flysch in the central-western vineyards;
• calcareous-marly formations mixed with sand in the eastern vineyards.

A 10-hectare source vineyard described for the estate’s principal reds lies at 100 metres, has an average vine age of approximately 20 years and experiences a gentle Mediterranean climate.

Grattamacco’s working approach links certified organic cultivation with manual selection and small-scale cellar work. Natural alcoholic fermentation, gentle hand punch-downs, long macerations and spontaneous malolactic fermentation reduce reliance on forceful extraction. Keeping the varieties separate through malolactic fermentation allows the final blend to be composed during maturation rather than fixed at the beginning of vinification.

The estate combines Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot with Sangiovese, while maintaining a separate commitment to Vermentino. Its vineyard programme is adapted to the estate’s contrasting soils and steep terrain through three training systems—cordon spur, Guyot and Alberello—and restrained yields.