Galatrona Petrolo 2017 Val d’Arno Di Sopra《Terroir Collection - TI919A》

🏅James Suckling 97 pts

🏅Wine Advocate 95 pts

🏅Vinous 94 pts

🏅Wine Spectator 92 pts

Galatrona is the “Gran-Cru” of Merlot of Petrolo, only made with the grapes from the vineyard of the same name planted between the end of the 80’s and half of the 90’s with low vigor bordeaux clones. The peculiar soil, rich in clay in combination with schist, marl and sandstones, allows the concentration of all the noble components of the grapes, fundamental for the great structure, elegance, balance and persistence wanted for this wine.

The History of Petrolo

This part of Chianti, largely covered in woods, has always been farmed with vineyards and olive groves being the only cultivations fitting well in this land. A territory with a long history and an old vocation in the production of great wines. We find trace of this in 1716 when Cosimo III de Medici, Great Duke of Tuscany, stated with an edict which areas had the most valuable productions of fine wine and quality olive oil. This edict recognized 4 areas, Chianti center (between Panzano and Greve), Carmignano (west of Florence), Pomino (east of Florence) and the Val d’Arno di Sopra (the western and eastern hills along the Arno river between Florence and Arezzo, where Petrolo belongs) .

This vocation was confirmed one century later in 1834 by agronomist Giorgio Perrin, owner of Petrolo and member of the Accademia dei Gergofili of Florence. He celebrates Sangiovese and this land, especially that spot called Campo Asciutto (now Bòggina), explaining how it was common use at the time planting “French grapes” in Chianti to combine with Sangiovese, by virtue of a soil that manages to prevail over different varietals.

The Estate was acquired in the 40’s by the family Bazzocchi that followed up the tradition of carefully producing high quality wines with utter commitment. The pecularities of this area add to its value; the land of Petrolo, where vineyards, olive groves and woods coexist, living side by side, forming with the soil a rich ecosystem that contributes to perfectly balance the different grape varieties.

Valdarno di Sopra DOC

Valdarno di Sopra is one of the latest DOC among the Denominations of Controlled Origin established with the modern regulations of the 60’s. And yet the production of high quality wines was so deeply rooted in these territories that already in1716 Cosimo III de’ Medici realized the need of protecting Tuscan wines of Chianti, Pomino, Carmignano and indeed Valdarno di Sopra, from forgeries. During the 19th and 20th century, wines produced inValdarno di Sopra were progressively grouped under the Chianti name, initially in a generic way and then in the sub-zone Colli Aretini. The same happened with Carmignano, re-born with its proper name only in the 60’s and with Pomino where it was decided to distinguish their wines under the Chianti Rufina denomination.

For the wines made in Valdarno di Sopra though, its grouping with Chianti wasn’t doing justice to the complexity of local productions. Many “Supertuscan”, acquiring a well known reputation among insiders, were and still are, made with the grapes grown in this area. We are talking of wines made not only with native grapes varietals, mainly pure Sangiovese and also Pugnitello, Foglia Tonda or white Malvasia, but also from foreign grapes like Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon that had little or nothing to share with the Chianti disciplinary.