Petrolo
Torrione 2018
Toscana IGT
Torrione marks the beginning of the Petrolo’s quality revolution. It is considered to be the true identity of Petrolo, made with a blend of grapes from all of the estate’s vineyards. With a blend of Sangiovese, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Torrione is also in keeping with Tuscan tradition of adding Bordeaux varieties to Sangiovese and instilling a sense of place in the French varieties, lending them a distinctly Tuscan character.
VINEYARD
At an altitude of 820 ft – 1640 ft above sea level, the soil is mostly loam, with variable rocky stratifications of schist, marl and sandstone. EU certified organic farming as of the 2016 vintage. Natural/sustainable farming since 2004. Dry farming, no tillage, total grassing with mulch management, no use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.
WINEMAKING
Manual harvest in crates. Grape selection & sorting table. Natural vinification with native yeasts in concrete vats. Soft and frequent manual pumping over. Skin maceration over 18 days. Aging: 15 months, part in French oak barriques, part in 40 Hl oak barrels and partly in concrete vats.
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
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese
Appellation
Toscana IGT
Farming
Organic
Alcohol
14%
Suggested Retail Price
$35.00
Reviews
"Extremely polished and beautiful"
James Suckling - November 4, 2020 "A red with plenty of blackberry, black olive floral and oyster-shell character. It’s full-bodied, yet layered, extremely polished and beautiful. A dusty texture. Hazelnut and walnut undertones. From organically grown grapes. A little more merlot and cabernet sauvignon in the blend. Gorgeous now, but better after 2021 and onwards."
"Such a fun edition"
Wine Advocate - November 4, 2020 "This is such a fun edition of this wine with a fluttering heart sketched onto the front label. I imagine that the heart could be dedicated to proprietor Luca Sanjust's rambunctious mother who recently passed away. Made with organic fruit, the Petrolo 2018 Val d'Arno di Sopra Torrione is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The wine opens to a dark and rich appearance with punchy aromas of tart cherry and wild berry. Warm aromas of tobacco, spice and cedar wood appear gradually as the wine opens in the glass."
"Deep, inky and generous"
Vinous - November 4, 2020 "Petrolo's 2018 Torrione is fabulous. Deep, inky and generous, the 2018 packs a serious punch. Ripe dark red fruit, chocolate, spice, leather and tobacco are all kicked up a few notches, with sweet foral top notes that add aromatic lift. The 2018 is an especially boisterous Torrione, with all the elements in the right place. In a word: delicious."
"Firm and long"
Wine Spectator - December 14, 2020 "Straddles a Bordeaux character with Tuscan leanings of wild herbs, tar and underbrush flanking the core of black currant, blackberry and pencil shaving flavors. It's firm and long, with a muscular grip on the finish."
Reviews
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
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.
Bòggina C
Val d'Arno di Sopra
Boggina is bottled from the best barrels of Sangiovese produced each year from the Boggina hill, planted in the 1950’s by Luca’s grandfather. Bòggina is the oldest vineyard on the Petrolo estate, and the source of Petrolo’s most prized Sangiovese vines.
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.
