As I get prepared to work the market on Thursday with some of the wines from the wonderful portfolio of Vintus, I am excited to research the wines of Petrolo or two wines of Petrolo. Sometimes my research brings me across boring websites that give me zero motivation to continue clicking and surfing the site. Having already known of the quality of the Estate, I went to the Petrolo website and was pleasantly surprised to find a music video of Jimi Hendrix rock'n out to “All Along The Watchtower”. Needless to say I was extremely intrigued to click on.
The property currently covers 272 hectares including 31 hectares of specialized vineyards, 19 hectares of olive groves and the remaining area of woods and arable land located at an altitude between 750 feet and 1476 feet above sea level. The soil consists of rocky stratifications of galestro, clay-like earth with schist typical of the Apennine areas in Tuscany. Petrolo is situated in the area known as the Colli Aretini, bordering on the Chianti Hills, a historical area delimited in 1716 by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de' Medici as a particularly valuable land for wine and olive oil. The Petrolo Estate was part of the old medieval fiefdom of 'Galatrona', the old tower of which still remains on top of Roman foundations. 'Torrione' in Italian means tower, thus the name of the wine. The Winery was bought by the Bazzocchi family in the 40s and since the end of the 80s the current owner Lucia Sanjust Bazzocchi with help from her son Luca Sanjust, has changed the production aims and methods to concentrate exclusively on results of the highest quality.
The two wines that the Estate proudly makes are Galatrona, made from 100% Merlot and is referred to by Parker as the Petrus of Italy, and Torrione which is made from 100% Sangiovese. Galatrona I will save for another day. The 2007 Torrione is what’s worth checking out (since it’s the one of the two I can afford). The meticulous care of the vineyards and the desire to produce the best, Luca Sanjust really has taken this estate to a whole new level. It might be the 40+ year old vines, or the extremely low yields, or maybe the 14 day maceration and malo in French barrel with 15 months aging before bottling that makes this wine a show stopper? Sanjust would tell you it’s the heart of his family and soul of the lands! For a wine that is typically found for under $40 in your fine wine retail shops, this wine is worth buying multiplies of for enjoyment now and later. If you have the patients.
Here is what the experts said:
“Clear and precise, with beautiful aromas of plum, berries and chocolate. Full-bodied and refined, with a dense yet elegant palate of plum, chocolate and cherry. Long and caressing. Wonderfully polished.” 94 Wine Spectator and #37 of the Top 100 2009
"Petrolo’s 2007 Torrione (Sangiovese) is one of the overachievers of the vintage. In a blind tasting it could easily be mistaken for a wine that costs twice as much (trust me on that!). This is simply a marvelous bottle of Tuscan red laced with perfumed red fruits, silky tannins and exceptional overall balance. The minerality and delineation here is nothing short of first class." 92 Wine Advocate