Petrolo
Bòggina C 2018
Val d'Arno di Sopra DOC
Bòggina is a Sangiovese cru and a testament to the winemaking foresight of Petrolo’s founder, Gastone Bazzocchi, who planted the vineyard in 1952 and saw the great quality potential of the vineyard early on. Over the years, the vineyard has been replanted little by little with a massale selection to preserve the diversity of the original clones. Bòggina showcases the great expression of a 100% Sangiovese that Petrolo’s unique terroir and microclimate are capable of producing.
VINEYARD
Bòggina is the oldest vineyard on the Petrolo estate, and the source of Petrolo’s most prized Sangiovese vines. Planted in 1952 by the grandfather of proprietor Luca Sanjust, it spans 13 acres. It is planted to a density of 5,500 vinese per ha and is cordon spur trained. The yield per plant is notably restricted (max 2.5 lbs per vine plant), allowing a concentration of all the noble components of the grape, fundamental for the full-bodied character of this wine.
WINEMAKING
Fermented with indigenous yeasts in glass-lined cement vats. The maceration on the skins lasts for 18 days, with frequent manual pumping over. The wine is aged in a combination of one large 22 hectoliter French oak barrel and 7 hectoliter barrels, for a total of 16-18 months, the first 6 months of which are on lees. This process affords the wine greater complexity. After bottling, the wine is left to rest for 6 months before release.
VINTAGE
2018 was a very favorable year to viticulture and among the best vintages ever with extraordinary results in the bottle for quality and quantity. Cold temperatures arrived a little later than usual, only in February and the rains came abundant in the spring. The temperatures have remained slightly above average since April and for the rest of the summer but without excess. Precipitation was contained in the summer. These conditions have supported a balanced growth and perfect ripening of the grapes sustaining optimal health conditions. Harvesting began with the Trebbiano grapes of Bòggina B in the last days of August and continued with Merlot in the first days of September. We harvested Sangiovese from the second week of September while the Cabernet Sauvignon of Campo Lusso was, as usual, the last grape picked during the first days of October.
Color
Red
Grape Varieties
Sangiovese
Appellation
Val d'Arno di Sopra DOC
Farming
Organic
Alcohol
13.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$75.00
Reviews
"Hits all the proverbial Sangiovese high notes"
Wine Advocate - November 4, 2020 "From old-vine (and organic) Sangiovese planted in 1952, the Petrolo 2018 Val d'Arno di Sopra Bòggina C is a gorgeous wine with thick flavors and dark saturation. This is a beautiful expression—polished, bright and intense. It offers pure fruit flavors of wild cherry, cassis, dried basil, crushed flower and candied orange skin. The wine is silky and mid-weight in texture, but it produces a very long and polished finish. This wine hits all the proverbial Sangiovese high notes."
"Fresh and focused"
Wine Spectator - December 10, 2020 "This red smells great, revealing pure black cherry, blackberry and plum fruit, shaded by vanilla, cedar, iron and toasty oak. It's rich and dense, staying fresh and focused on the extended finish."
"Mid-palate depth and broader shoulders"
Vinous - November 4, 2020 "The 2018 Bòggina C (Bòggina Classico) is another superb wine from Petrolo. Here, Sangiovese is aged in oak, which gives the wine more mid-palate depth and broader shoulders, which, frankly, the wine seems to benefit from. Dark cherry, licorice, leather, spice and menthol build as the 2018 shows everything its got. Impressive."
"Vivid and focused"
James Suckling - November 4, 2020 “The purity of fruit is just right in this red with dried berries, dried leaves, terracotta and dried tobacco. Some smoke, too. It’s full-bodied, yet vivid and focused. No new wood. From organically grown grapes from a single vineyard. A beauty and so drinkable now, but will improve nicely with age.”
Reviews
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Galatrona
Val d'Arno di Sopra
Galatrona is a cru made entirely from Merlot grapes coming exclusively from a single vineyard planted in the early ‘90s. Year after year, it is recognized critically (the “Le Pin of Tuscany” by Wine Spectator, for example) but, more importantly, understood as being a reflection of its site far more than its grape varietal.
Bòggina B
Toscana IGT
Bòggina B is a little bit of Burgundy with a Tuscan twist. The wine is made with 100% Trebbiano Toscano. The clone of the Valdarno has been known for its quality since the 1300s, when it was regularly sent to the popes in Rome and the courts of Florence. Petrolo has been using Trebbiano grapes for its sweet vinsanto for decades, but owner Luca Sanjust decided that the time had come for a tribute to the great whites of Valdarno’s past. The wine is made under the guidance of one of Burgundy’s greats, Mounir Souma of Lucien Le Moine.
Bòggina A
Val d'Arno di Sopra
Every year, Petrolo selects a small lot of Bòggina, a wine made purely from their best Sangiovese grapes, to ferment in amphorae. The choice of amphorae has a historical dimension to get closer to Tuscany's cultural roots, as Terracotta in Tuscany has a history back to the early Etruscan times. The remains of amphorae and other Etruscan relics can be found throughout the Petrolo property, an area that has been settled for thousands of years.
Torrione
Val d'Arno di Sopra
Torrione is made primarily from Sangiovese grapes, both those that come from historic vines of the 1970s and ones more recently planted with high density. The yield per plant is notably restricted, allowing a concentration of all the noble components of the grape, fundamental for the full-bodied character of this wine. The fruit intensity and its black character make it a comparison to Brunello at several times the price.
