2016 Petrolo Galatrona IGT Super Tuscan/IGT

2016 Petrolo Galatrona IGT

98 JS

Featured Review

The aromas of dried flowers, stones, dark tea leaves, hot tile, and dark berries. Full-bodied, yet tight and linear. Wonderful drive and depth. An extremely long and focused finish. A great wine. Needs four or five years to come together. Try in 2022. James Suckling

James Suckling | 98 JS

This is the flagship wine from Luca Sanjust's Petrolo estate located not too far from Arezzo in the Valdarno area of eastern Tuscany. The 2016 Galatrona is indeed a masterpiece to behold. This wine offers thick layering and deep intensity with aromas that offer an incredible range, starting off with luscious dark chocolate on one side and ending with fragrant white truffle on the far end of its long aromatic trajectory. You get plummy fruit, spice, sweet tobacco and tilled earth packed tight in between. This full-bodied Merlot is softly textured and succulent with long-lasting flavor intensity on the close. Petrolo's Merlot is planted in a ten-hectare parcel distinguished by thick clay soils. I have been watching Galatrona's evolution for years and have tasted the wine on occasion in various vertical tastings. This is my favorite vintage made thus far.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 98 RP

Galatrona leads an impressive set of wines from Luca Sanjust in the moderate 2016 growing season. Pure Merlot from a 25-acre plot of vines planted in the 1990s, it unfolds with beautiful scents of dewy violets and thyme. The flavors are as precise as the aromas, with fresh acidity highlighting the ripe blue and black fruit tones. The wine aged for 18 months in French oak barriques, about one-third new, developing supple tannins and subtle spice notes. Taut and herb inflected, it’s a Merlot for people who think they don’t like Merlot.

Wine and Spirits | 96 W&S

This is full of enticing blackberry, blueberry and plum flavors, with a spine of acidity, iron accents and beefy tannins. Long and well-proportioned, this needs time to integrate. Tobacco and spice hints detail the finish.

Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Much Tuscan Merlot is overblown, but the clay parcels among the Petrolo vineyards are ideal for this variety, and Galatrona rightly enjoys a legendary reputation in this category. Initially sumptuous on the nose, with its black-cherry aromas, this also has a spicy, savoury dimension, and a dash of vanilla from the oak. Concentrated and voluptuous, it’s lifted by fine-grained tannins and lively acidity, and given added complexity with its nuances of liquorice and mocha. Fine length. Drinking Window 2020 - 2035

Decanter | 94 DEC

The 2016 Galatrona (Merlot) is fabulous. Powerful, dense and layered, the 2016 brings together serious fruit intensity and energy, as is so typical of this important Tuscan vintage. A whole range of floral and spice notes develop in the glass, adding further shades of nuance. I have long felt Galatrona is released too early. The 2016 is a perfect example of that. Opening a bottle now is a crime.

Vinous Media | 94 VM

Type of Wine	Super Tuscan/IGT : Many grape varietals are planted all over the world so they're not typical for one single country anymore. For instance, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc form part of many blends coming from different countries. Super Tuscan wines are produced in this Italian region, but grape varietals used in the making are not indigenous - those are mostly Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Varietal	Proprietary Blend : Proprietary Blend is a general term used to indicate that a wine is comprised of multiple grape varietals which are either “proprietary” to the winery or is blended and does not meet the required maximum or minimum percentage of a particular varietal. This also is the case for the grape’s place of origin, especially for region, appellation or vineyard designated wines. There are endless examples of blended wines which are labeled as “Proprietary Blend” and in conjunction with each region’s stipulated wine laws and regulations makes for a vast blanket for wines to fall into. Perhaps the simplest example is California; if a wine is to be labeled as Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, it is required to have at least 75% of the varietal (Cabernet Sauvignon) and 85% of the fruit must be cultivated from the Napa Valley wine district. If the wine does not meet the requirements, it is then labeled as Proprietary Blend.
Country	Italy : Italy is renowned as one of the world’s greatest gastronomic havens; from certified Prosciutto di Parma to the sea-side seafood eateries on the island of Sicily. However, this epicurean experience could not possibly be as hedonistic without the ethereal combination of the country’s plethora of fine wines. It seems unfair that a nation should be able to boast, both, some of the world’s greatest cuisine as well as its greatest wines. Italian wine is one of the most sought after in the world, and has become the second most produced in the world, behind only France. Stretching an impressive 736 miles from northern Italy to the peninsula’s southern tip, the country’s geography generates an enormous array of topography, climate and soil structure. This is an extremely important quality of its winegrowing and making industry which lays claim to nearly 550 different grape varietals, which all desire their own necessities, in terms of terroir and climate. The still red wines of Italy truly characterize the nation’s vast and expansive terroir; Nebbiolo dominates Piedmont, where Barolo and Barbaresco reign king and queen of the region’s production. Hailing from Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany, the rockstar Sangiovese grape has become synonymous with greatness. Vin Santo sweet wines have taken on a mighty feat of competing with the glorious wines of Sauternes, and of course, Prosecco. Prosecco, located in Trieste (northeast Italy) and its creation of luxuriously effervescent styles of wine has become Italy’s answer to Champagne. The Glera grape variety, which has become synonymous with the name Prosecco, is the main ingredient and is beloved in the appellation where the village of Prosecco’s name has become world renowned. The blurred boundary between Italy and the countries of Slovenia and Austria, where German influence still resonates through Friuli wines. The prevalence of Riesling and other such grape varietals is high in this region and have become extremely popular on today’s market. With nearly 702,000 hectares of grapevines covering the massive and diverse landscape, Italy’s annual average of 48.3 million hectoliters of wine production is second only to France in terms of volume and Spain in terms of hectares of vines. The country is vast and overwhelming when it comes to the culinary arts, but perhaps even this is overshadowed by its production of some of the world’s most sought after wines, whether the omnipresent Chianti to the highly collectible and sought after Amarone della Valpolicalla.
Region	Tuscany : Italian culture worships the concept of a shared meal, and their wines scream for a chance to be uncorked with your friends and family. The region's Mediterranean climate and hilly landscape combine to create a beautiful viticultural environment, where every chosen grape is brought to its full potential and transmuted into drinks worthy of gods. The vineyards are planted along the higher reaches of the hill slopes, creating a gorgeous view of the Italian landscape. Once your lips kiss the wine, you're sent spiraling down a veritable whirlpool of pure flavor, touching upon notes of sensuous cherry, nuts, floral hints and undertones of honey and minerals. The wines can be as sweet as a fresh summer romance, and carry an air of dignity and elegance about them that can stimulate your intellect for months as you contemplate the seemingly infinite intricacies and details in the texture. Tuscany is an important part of Italian viticulture, and sampling their wines is the closest you can get to visiting this heavenly region and experiencing the culture.