Petrolo, Galatrona, 2024
Petrolo, Galatrona, 2024
- 75cl
- 14%
- Red Still
- Merlot
- Organic
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Drinking window: 2028 - 2042
Est. delivery in 2027
Nestled in the Colli Arentini, on the edge of the Chianti Hills, this 100% Merlot is truly remarkable. With vines now aged between 25 and 35 years and producing minuscule yields, they are reaching their peak, delivering exceptional fruit.
The region's clay-rich soils, similar to those found on Bordeaux’s right bank, contribute to the outstanding quality of the Merlot produced here.
What the critics say:
"A racy, refined red, showing blackberry, black-truffle and violet aromas and flavors. Hints of fresh herbs like bay leaves and basil. Medium-bodied with crunchy fruit and firm tannins that turn creamy in the polished, textured finish. Lead pencil and sandalwood. Very impressive for the vintage. From organically grown grapes. Drinkable but try in two or three years."
The Galatrona vineyard sits at around 300 metres above sea level on clay-rich soils with a high proportion of alberese — the same compressed schist and limestone mix that defines some of Chianti's finest plots. The elevation keeps temperatures relatively cool at night, preserving the natural acidity that stops Merlot tipping into flabbiness. The Valdarno di Sopra sits in a sheltered valley corridor that channels cool air from the Apennines, giving the wines a structural edge you rarely find in Merlot grown further south.
Valdarno di Sopra is a small, relatively recently recognised DOC covering the upper Arno valley between Arezzo and Florence. It can feel like Tuscany's best-kept secret — sandwiched between the fame of Chianti Classico to the west and the cachet of Cortona to the east, yet producing wines of real distinction, particularly from Sangiovese and — in Petrolo's hands — Merlot. The DOC allows both indigenous and international varieties and imposes fairly modest yield restrictions, meaning quality here is largely producer-driven rather than rule-driven.
The 2024 growing season in Tuscany was defined by a cool, wet spring followed by a summer that never quite committed to the heat Sangiovese craves — periodic rain events through the summer kept growers watchful and selective work in the vineyard essential. Those who managed canopies well and harvested at the right moment came out ahead; those who hesitated paid for it. It was a vintage that rewarded attentiveness rather than simply good fortune, and the best producers — particularly in Chianti Classico and Montalcino — rose to that challenge.
What landed in the cellar was fresher and more lifted than the riper, more muscular style that warmer years like 2022 tend to produce. Sangiovese shows bright acidity and firm structure with real energy behind it — less about sheer density, more about definition and length. It is too early to draw firm conclusions on the very best Brunello and Riserva releases, which will need time to resolve, but the Rosso and Chianti-level wines are already drinking well and offering genuine pleasure without demanding patience.
OUR GROWERS
Petrolo
