Wine Advisor
Petrolo, Galatrona 2012
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Description
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.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
The 2012 Galatrona bursts open with amazing intensity, personality and precision. Compared to the 2011 vintage, this wine shows sharper lines and a more etched personality. That trend continues to the mouth where the wines shows firm, but yielding tannins with good structure and acidity to match. Galatrona is a tonic and sophisticated wine that shows the best of Tuscany winemaking. The Merlot grape is international, but Galatrona is amazingly territory specific. Its flavors transport you to a world of Renaissance painting and soft marble statues.
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
Ripe and jammy aromas emerge from the bouquet of the 2012 Galatrona. This pure expression of Merlot remains sharp and delineated overall, but the extra time in the bottle has given prominence to the wine's inherently fruity side. The 2012 growing season was characterized by intense heat that lasted three weeks in August. The harvest came earlier as a result and crews went out to pick fruit on September 7th. This is a soft and deeply succulent wine with sweet cherry, blackberry, spice and marked aromas of balsam herb or rosemary twig. Some dried prune and raisin appears on the close. I recommend a medium-term drinking window.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Petrolo's flagship 2012 Galatrona (Merlot) shows off its typical opulence and voluptuousness, within the limits of the vintage. A host of dark red cherry, plum, mocha, spice and French oak overtones meld together effortlessly. The 2012 needs time in bottle to develop further aromatic complexity and shed some baby fat, but it is quite pretty today. As always, Galatrona shows the riper, richer side of Merlot.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
Deep ruby-red. Slightly subdued nose evokes blueberry nectar, incense and candied flowers, with hints of plums macerated in coffee and rum. Sweet blackberry and dark red cherry flavors show impressive focus and energy, with a sexy minty nuance emerging with aeration. Asian spices build on the long, juicy finish, which is softer than that of the 2013 Galatrona and is gently framed by the harmonious tannins.
About the Producer
The vineyards of Château Perrault span a total of 31 hectares, bordering the southeast of Chianti Classico. The vineyards are located on slopes between 250 and 450 meters above sea level, with moderately loose soils mixed with rocks typical of the Chianti region, such as marl, sandstone and shale. In order to produce unique wines, the winery grows Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon according to the characteristics of the terroir. In terms of vineyard management, Perrault Winery attaches great importance to the protection of ecological balance and biodiversity. The harmonious coexistence of vines, grasses, olive trees and woods not only protects the natural environment, but also creates a favorable growth environment for grapes. At the same time, the winery also strictly controls the grape production. The planting density of each hectare of vineyards is about 5,500 grapes, and the yield per hectare is only 2,000-2,500 hectoliters. Precise screening further enhances the quality and beauty of the wine. In the brewing of wine, Perrault Winery is based on the principle of brewing wine with unique personality, and uses different brewing and aging methods and containers for different wines. After the wine grapes are manually picked and screened in the winemaking workshop, they will be placed in clay pots, concrete tanks, cement tanks and other containers for alcohol fermentation according to the variety and plot, and then use French oak barrels, wooden barrels and Clay pots and other containers age the wine. At the same time, some wines will also improve the wine texture through Malolactic Fermentation and lees aging (Sur Lies). In order to produce better quality wines, the winery has also renovated the winery in recent years. Château Perrault's diverse vineyard terroir and unique brewing methods provide the basis for the variety of wines. At present, in addition to the three wines A, B and C of the Boggina series, the winery produced by the winery also includes Galatrona, Campo Lusso, Torrione and Four wines from San Petrolo. These wines, although different in style, are all of excellent quality and have received high marks from wine critics. For example, the 2018 red wine of Campo Luso received a high score of 97 points from the famous wine critic James Suckling; and the red wine of Garaço not only won the excellent quality of the 1998 wine Suckling's full score praised, and the 2015 wine was ranked second in its 2017 top 100 wine list with a high score of 99 points.
