The man with a knack for Merlot
From the first whiff, you know you are in pretty serious territory. To begin with the plum and cassis say Bordeaux, but then come thyme and juicy black olive, which speak of elsewhere. It's Petrolo Galatrona; Monica Larner has called it one of the top five Merlots produced in Italy. And the 2018 iteration is as elegant as it is complex, with black tea and dark chocolate making cameo appearances along with plum and fig.
Petrolo is in the Colli Aretini, a wooded, hilly area of south-eastern Chianti. The estate has Roman roots, and is overlooked by a medieval hilltop watchtower. Four generations of the Bazzochi family have been making wine here since the 1940s; they have always known they had some phenomenal terroir. In 1990, swayed by soil analysis, they planted their Galatrona vineyard entirely over to Merlot.
It's no surprise that fourth-generation owner and winemaker Luca Sanjust should be such a dab hand with Merlot. In the early years of Galatrona, he worked with the late, great Denis Durantou of L'Eglise Clinet. The warm but not excessive 2018 Tuscan vintage suits Galatrona admirably, underpinning the silky freshness that gives this powerful wine such a lifted mouthfeel. It is a showcase example of how well Bordeaux varietals have been able to transplant to Tuscany. /NT
'The flagship 2018 Galatrona, 100% Merlot, is very beautiful. Silky tannins wrap around a core of Merlot fruit. I am struck by how elegant the 2018 is, as Galatrona is so often a wine of impact. Black cherry, chocolate, game, leather, licorice and spice give the 2018 a good bit of nuance. This is an especially understated, refined edition of Galatrona.' - 96 points, Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, Aug 2020
Offered subject to remaining unsold; for shipment Spring 2022
