Petrolo Galatrona 2005

Professional Ratings

• 97 Wine Spectator
  Fabulous aromas of crushed berries, milk chocolate and flowers. Very complex and multilayered. Full-bodied, with gorgeous flavors and an ultrafine finish. Goes on and on. The high quality and subtlety of the tannins is impressive. Greatest ever from this producer. Le Pin of Tuscany. Merlot. Best after 2009.
• 94 Wine Enthusiast
  This release of Luca Sanjust's monumental Merlot is more subdued than the previous vintage, but what it lacks in intensity it makes up for in elegance. Instead of bursting red fruit and thick density, this feminine wine offers bite-size bursts of soft cherry, forest floor and toasted almond. It's smooth and supple in the mouth.
• 93 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
  The 2005 Galatrona (Merlot) is even more compelling. Floral aromatics lead to a fresh, vibrant expression of ripe fruit intermingled with sweet toasted oak. It possesses remarkable detail and clarity in an expression of Merlot that is more about the unique qualities of these hillside vineyards than it is about classic varietal notes. Initially somewhat restrained, it continued to put on weight in the glass. The fruit is super-ripe, but the wine’s structural components should allow it to age gracefully. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2020.
• 92 Wine & Spirits
  This forward merlot comes from vineyards planted around the medieval hamlet of Galatrona, located in the Colli Aretini region overlooking Chianti. The wine's supple texture feels more Pomerol than Tuscan, with fine integration of its sleek tannins and cool, plummy fruit. An elegant and delicious wine balanced for medium-term aging, it will show best with juicy prime rib.