Petrolo

As early as 1716, Grand Duke Cosimo III de' Medici recognised the Val d'Arno di Sopra as one of four areas in Tuscany exceptionally suited to winegrowing. Petrolo itself came into the hands of the Bazzocchi family in the last century. It was grandson Luca Sanjust, however, a painter by background specialising in Venetian Renaissance art, who gave the estate its current standing. His Merlot Galatrona has been called "the Le Pin of Tuscany" by critics and has repeatedly earned scores of 98 to 100 points. Alongside Galatrona, the house also makes the well-regarded Sangiovese wines Torrione and Boggina. Worth knowing: Galatrona came about by accident. During the 1994 harvest one parcel of Merlot was overlooked and picked far too late. Rather than discarding the fruit, the family vinified it separately, and so the very first Galatrona was born, now one of the most decorated wines in Tuscany.