2021 Galatrona, Petrolo
£345 per 6 bottle case in bond
I admire a feeling of vertical, explosive energy that catapults the 2021 into the stratosphere. This is a tremendous wine by any measure,
Antonio Galloni - August 2023
Galatrona is one of Italy's top Merlots and the wine has done much to establish the grape's heritage outside celebrated areas such as Pomerol. In fact, the wine is often compared to great expressions from France, but ultimately Galatrona is most distinguished by its sweet and sunny Tuscan disposition.
So wrote Monica Larner in 2017, confirming our own view from when we started promoting this exceptional Tuscan Merlot several years earlier. What remains astonishing is the value offered for a wine whose peer group is Masseto (£3,000 per 6 bottles), Messorio (£900 per 6 bottles) and Redigaffi (£900 per 6 bottles). Galatrona continues to be a fraction of the price and the 2021 vintage is offered today at £345 per 6 bottle case in bond.
Some background on the estate…
Petrolo is situated on the eastern flank of the Chianti hills, an historical area delimited in 1716 by the Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo III de' Medici, as one of Tuscany's top four wine producing zones. The Val d'Arno, where Petrolo is situated, was recognised as 'DOC Val d'Arno di Sopra' in 2011. The property is extensive and stretches over 272 hectares, of which only 31 are vineyards, situated between 250-450 metres above sea level. The estate has now converted to organic viticulture and includes 19 hectares of organically grown olive groves. The rest of the estate is arable land and woods.
Galatrona, which was first released in 1994, accounts for ten hectares of vineyard that was planted through the early 1990s with low vigour Bordeaux clones of Merlot. The vineyard is situated at an altitude of 300 metres on soils that comprise clay with shale, marl and sandstone. Merlot’s affinity with clay soils is well-documented – these soils help with moisture retention in the hot Tuscan summers. As winemaker Luca Sanjust has commented, today he has no need to prune heavily and thin the grapes, as the vine age is such that the vines have achieved a natural balance and intervention is only required in certain years.
What has always impressed us with Galatrona is the consistency. It is less overt than some Merlot – Galatrona is a softly extracted style of wine and you quickly note that Luca Sanjust looks for elegance as well as intensity. The wine is aged in French oak barriques for 18 months, but the proportion of new oak is not excessive at just a third and is barely perceptible in the glass.
The 2021 vintage saw the same freezing temperatures in April as much of Europe and the dramatic loss of yield this entailed; production was down 30%. But the decision-making here was such that quality was more than maintained, as can be seen in the scores and tasting notes of both Antonio Galloni and Monica Larner.
2021 Galatrona, Petrolo
£345 per 6 bottle case in bond
98 points, Antonio Galloni, vinous.com, August 2023
The 2021 Galatrona is a fine follow-up to the 2020. In most vintages, Galatrona is very showy right out of the gate. That is not at all the case with the 2021, a wine that is going to need a number of years to be at its finest. Black cherry, plum, mocha, leather, licorice and incense infuse the 2021 with tremendous complexity. More than anything else, I admire a feeling of vertical, explosive energy that catapults the 2021 into the stratosphere. This is a tremendous wine by any measure. Drink 2028-2041.
97+ points, Monica Larner, robertparker.com, March 2024
The 2021 Val d'Arno di Sopra Galatrona shows extremely focused aromas, but very generous ones all the while, with soft mint, cherry and stracciatella over a full-bodied texture with soft layers of spice and cedarwood. The wine boasts an elegantly chalky quality to the tannins, but the mouthfeel is so generous, everything irons out beautifully over the palate. It ages in a combination of new and used barrique. Annual production is about 30,000 bottles. Drink 2024-2045.
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