Winemaker Notes
Palazzi showcases Merlot at its best, with plush, supple fruit balanced by intense minerality. A blend of grapes from across the estate, Palazzi comes from a selection of older vines of merlot, comprising about five to seven hectares. Several months in new barrel add layers of richness and complexity, making the wine approachable and pleasing from release, with elegant structure that can stand the test of time. It is one of the great examples of Italian merlot, and only a small quantity is produced each year.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
There's great purity to this red, along with ripe plum, blackberry, chocolate, olive tapenade and toasty oak flavors. The tannins are civilized, while the refreshing acidity lends precision and focus. Showing terrific balance overall, this saturates the palate in the end, staying persistent and long. Approachable now, yet should improve. Merlot.
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Vinous
The 2021 Palazzi is 100% Merlot. Dark red plum, blood orange, pomegranate, spice box and a kiss of French oak are all dialed up. Seamless and layered, with no hard edges, this sumptuous, exotic red hits all the right notes. What a gorgeous and utterly compelling wine it is.
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Decanter
In 2021, the grapes for Palazzi – the estate's 100% Merlot – were picked four days after the eventual mid-September rainfall which quenched the vines after an arid summer. Rich aromas of red and black cherry, cocoa, dried herbs and plum introduces a textural, glossy wine of good intensity lifted by some mid-palate menthol. Cocoa-infused red, black and blue fruits vie for attention. Dusty and earthy notes hang in the background while up front, balsam and black pepper emerge. The tannins are fine-grained, but feel slightly drying on the long finish. Ultimately, though, there's impressive balance despite the weight of the wine and its warming alcohol; the fresh acidity helps to give it poise and control.
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.