Winemaker Notes
Grapes are hand-harvested and then further selected on a sorting table. The wine undergoes a two-week open-air fermentation with indigenous yeasts in two terracotta amphorae of 300 and 500 liters. The amphorae are then hermetically sealed, and the wine is left on its skins for eight months. After this eight month period, the skins are removed, and aging continues in amphorae for another five months. The natural porosity of the terracotta allows for a slow ingress of oxygen into the wine, avoiding excess reduction. No sulfites are added during this process, as the extended contact of the wine with the skins establishes a natural level of protection against oxidation.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
The primordial, sanguine earthiness of the Valdarno is never more apparent than in Sangiovese fermented and aged in terracotta. The Bòggina A vibrates with vitality and electrifies the soul.
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James Suckling
This wine shows fruit freshness with lifted red cherries, strawberries, sweet violets and peonies and great precision. Firm and crisp on the palate, more elegant than powerful, very juicy, with a tight-knit structure between fruit, acidity and floral length. Drinkable now, but best in four to five years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made with 100% organic Sangiovese, the Petrolo 2022 Val d'Arno di Sopra Bòggina A is a terrific red wine with a delightful level of crunchiness and energy. The wine represents a special single-vineyard section of fruit, and production does not top 5,000 bottles. The fermenting wine remains on the skins for an extended eight months in clay amphorae. Luca Sanjust tells me that his entire winery smells like fragrant wild strawberries during this time. Some of those fresh aromas are reflected in the bouquet of this pretty wine.
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Wine Spectator
Gossamer in texture and expressing strawberry, cherry and mineral flavors, with a hint of licorice, this red is elegant and complex. Fluid and harmonious but could use a little more time to knot together. Offers fine, salty length. Sangiovese. Drink now through 2033. 250 cases made, 40 cases imported.
Legendary in Italy for its Renaissance art and striking landscape, Tuscany is also home to many of the country’s best red wines. Sangiovese reigns supreme here, as either the single varietal, or a dominant player, in almost all of Tuscany’s best.
A remarkable Chianti, named for its region of origin, will have a bright acidity, supple tannins and plenty of cherry fruit character. From the hills and valleys surrounding the medieval village of Montalcino, come the distinguished and age-worthy wines based on Brunello (Sangiovese). Earning global acclaim since the 1970s, the Tuscan Blends are composed solely of international grape varieties or a mix of international and Sangiovese. The wine called Vine Nobile di Montepulciano, composed of Prognolo Gentile (Sangiovese) and is recognized both for finesse and power.