Petrolo, Galatrona, IGT 2021

The 2021 Galatrona is a rich, deep, expansive wine endowed with striking textural depth and structure. Dark fruit, sage, lavender, mocha and grilled herbs are all amplified in this potent Merlot. Readers will have to be patient, as this will need a number of years to be at its finest. A complex, dynamic Galatrona, the 2021 is just superb.

The aromas here are very distinct with dried flowers such as lavender and violets. Some sage as well. Black berries and black olive skin. Full-bodied yet linear and energetic with very fine tannins and fantastic length. Fresh and lively in the finish. Merlot. Best after 2026.

Vivid purple in the glass, gorgeous black cherry and blackcurrant aromas with touches of florality - this 100% Merlot smells wonderfully scented and inviting. Smooth, ample, really quite seductive on the palate, sensual almost in the silky but gripping tannins, beautifully ripe blackcurrant and cherry fruit and crunchy, crisp acidity that is not too sharp or too obvious but lifts the palate and gives a thrill and wonderful freshness to the overall expression. Beautifully presented, harmonious, balanced and totally enjoyable from the first to last sip. A gorgeous wine, intense yet energetic, full of flavour and textural nuance. Totally unputdownable, although with lots of potential for improvement over ageing. The wine spent 18 months in French oak tonneaux and barriques, 30% new. 3.56pH.

The 2021 Val d'Arno di Sopra Galatrona shows extremely focused aromas, but very generous ones all the while, with soft mint, cherry and stracciatella over a full-bodied texture with soft layers of spice and cedarwood. The wine boasts an elegantly chalky quality to the tannins, but the mouthfeel is so generous, everything irons out beautifully over the palate. It ages in a combination of new and used barrique. Annual production is about 30,000 bottles.

The 2021 Galatrona, 100% Merlot, is medium to deep garnet-purple in color. Quite closed to start, it requires a lot of swirling to bring out wonderfully pure notes of wild blueberries and juicy blackberries, followed by hints of plum pudding, cinnamon stick, and violets. The medium to full-bodied palate is chock full of bright, energetic black fruits with firm, ripe, grainy tannins and bags of freshness, finishing long and perfumed.

Always an enjoyable wine, with the dry underbrush of Tuscany providing balance and a break on the sweetness of Merlot in the warmth of Tuscany. Good acidity underlying the body of the wine, with fine tannins buoying up the ripe crushed raspberries and red cherry fruits. 10ha vineyard. Harvest first half of September, 3.56ph, natural yeast fementation, 30% new oak, with lees stirring for the first few months, long maceration, Organic. Luca Sanjust, with Carolo Ferrini as consultant winemaker