Petrolo Galatrona 2016

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. (ML) (5/2019)

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. (9/2018)

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. (4/2019)

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. (BS) (12/2018)

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. (AG) (2/2019)