Invest In The Iconic Wine Galatrona - Tuscany's Answer To Petrus

It is no secret that Italian wines are more popular than ever, but if you want to highlight one area in particular, you need to look at Tuscany. Picture-perfect Tuscany is located in western Italy on the coast and is the birthplace of Brunello di Montalcino. On the other hand, this is also where we find the ultra-popular Super Tuscans that have taken the world by storm, and one of them is Galatrona.

The First Real Super Tuscan Made From Merlot

Galatrona has really put Tenuta Petrolo on the map and manifested its position among the leading producers in Tuscany, even in an area that includes Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Masseto, etc. Galatrona is in fact the first true Super Tuscan to be made exclusively from Merlot, which has led Wine Spectator to call Galatrona Tuscany's answer to Petrus.  

The term "Super Tuscan" covers a number of producers in Tuscany, who have broken with local traditions and are producing modern French-inspired wines - for example by blending classic French grapes into the wine, including Merlot. In addition, the wines are also aged in small barriques - oak barrels - as it is known from Bordeaux.

“Tenuta Petrolo Doesn’t Make Basic Wines, Only Great Wines”

The title is in fact the producer's own, but it also underlines the self-awareness that the winery rightly has. Here, they strive for the very best, and nothing is left to chance.

The Petrolo winery is located in the Val d'Arno di Sopra area, southeast of the classic Chianti. Here, it is possible to work with different grape varieties without being limited by the Chianti rules. Petrolo's 30 hectares are planted with everything from Cabernet Sauvignon to Merlot and Sangiovese. The gem of the collection, however, is the 10-hectare Galatrona vineyard planted with Merlot.

Planting and pruning have been the way forward, and by increasing the number of plants per hectare, as well as changing the way of pruning, the quality has been raised to new heights. The hard work is put into the vineyard, as the best and healthiest plants produce the best wine in the end.

The winery is now certified organic as a result of the family's care of the vineyards over several decades.

To choose Merlot as the gem of his collection shows something about the level of ambition of the owner Luca Sanjust. Cabernet Sauvignon is definitely easier to work with in the vineyard, but Luca's love for Pomerol made him go in this direction. It has succeeded and is continuously underlined by great scores from the best critics.

Galatrona - An Ambitious Dream That Came True

Galatrona is the result of an ambitious winemaker's dream. The Merlot grape requires more attention than many other grape varieties and succeeds only in a few places in the world. The best wines of Pomerol, and a few great examples from Napa Valley, are the only wines that are in the top league when we talk about red wine from the Merlot grape. With Galatrona and Masseto in the lead, there is no longer any question that Tuscany can produce Merlot in the absolute best class.

The Galatrona vineyard was planted in the late 1980s with clones of the best Merlot grapes that could be sourced from Bordeaux. There was never any doubt about the inspiration for this wine, which was the best wines from Pomerol like Petrus and Le Pin. The soil, which is rich in minerals, provided the perfect environment for this ambitious project, the first vintage of which saw the light of day in 1994.

Vintage 2016 Once Again Shows The Top Of Tuscany

In a long line of good vintages from Tuscany, the 2016 vintage stands out with a rarely seen balance. For Galatrona, the Merlot grape has benefited from the long growing season and stands out as one of the best vintages ever, according to The WineAdvocate critic, who gives it 98 points. The other regions in Tuscany, such as Bolgheri and Brunello di Montalcino, have also received excellent ratings for the 2016 vintage, which underlines the fact that this is one of the great vintages of this cult wine.

Historical Returns Underline The Potential

There is no doubt that 2016 is something special - and 2016 will be a vintage that will be the reference point for future vintages. If you look at the best comparable vintage, the 2009 is also awarded with 98 points by The WineAdvocate.

The 2009 vintage is currently priced at €120-130 per bottle, which is well over double the current price of the 2016 vintage, which you can now buy for investment at just €64 per bottle and in investment-appropriate quantities.   

Rarewine Invest's Opinion

As we have highlighted before, there is huge potential in investing in the best Italian wines, and that certainly includes the cult wine Galatrona from top producer Tenuta Petrolo. In the last two years, Italian wines have been at the forefront of returns and popularity, as underlined by both trading figures from the UK wine exchange Liv-ex and the fact that Italy has no less than 4 producers in the top 10 of the annual Power 100 list, which is measured on price and trading activity among other criteria.

In addition, we are seeing wines of unprecedented quality from Italy, with the 2016 vintage in particular in a league of its own, underlining the huge potential of getting in early before prices really take off. There are still investment appropriate quantities to be found on the market at extremely attractive prices.

As consumption increases, we are gradually seeing price increases that are often above what is often seen, as exemplified by the comparable 2009 Galatrona, which is currently trading at €120-130 per bottle, making the coveted 2016 vintage look like a real bargain as long as it can be acquired for just €64 per bottle.