Petrolo Galatrona 2016 (6.0L)

98 JS / 98 WA / 98 FS / 96 WS

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

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. - Monica Larner, Wine Advocate

Deeply coloured, brilliant ruby-violet. Very clear, distinct nose with complex interplay with blackberry, dark currant and ripe blueberry, plus fine resinous notes and tobacco. Fresh on the palate initially with a lot of juicy, ripe berry fruit and opening up with fine-meshed, dense tannin, salty and very long.-Falstaff

Very pure, evoking black currant, blackberry and blueberry aromas and flavors, along with violet, iron and tobacco accents. There is a fluidity here too. Sleek and vibrant, this is linear, balanced and long. Tasted non-blind. Best from 2025 through 2045. Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator