Petrolo Boggina Amphora 2022 - 75cl
The A stands for amphora, and it's the whole point of this bottle. Petrolo takes 100% Sangiovese from a historic section of the Bòggina vineyard and ferments it in terracotta — 300 and 500-litre jars, a nod to the Etruscan clay tradition that runs through this part of Tuscany. There is no oak here at all, so what you get is Sangiovese unmediated.
Bòggina itself was first established by Gastone Bazzocchi, grandfather of the current owners, and it remains the estate's finest Sangiovese ground in the organically farmed Val d'Arno di Sopra. After fermentation with native yeasts, the amphorae are sealed with the skins for roughly eight months' maceration, then the wine rests a further six months in clay. Fewer than 5,000 bottles are made.
2022 was a hot, dry year, and the amphora approach keeps everything fresh and lifted rather than baked. James Suckling scored it 96 points; Monica Larner at Wine Advocate gave it 95 and noted the cellar smelling of wild strawberries mid-ferment. In the glass it's all lifted red cherry and strawberry, sweet violet and peony, with a crunchy, energetic palate and startling precision. The tannins are silky, the whole thing vivid and alive.
This is a wine for anyone who thinks they know Sangiovese — it shows a purer, more transparent side of the grape. Special-occasion drinking that still feels honest.
How to Serve
Serve at 16°C in a Burgundy-style glass to gather the perfume. A short decant of 30 minutes suits it; it's built on freshness, so don't over-aerate. Drink now to 2030.
Where to Drink It
Noble Rot, where a low-intervention Sangiovese finds a knowing crowd. The River Cafe, for its purity next to simple Italian cooking. Dandy in Newington Green, if you want it somewhere that celebrates this style.
Food Pairings
Keep it clean — grilled quail or a plate of prosciutto and ripe figs. I'd also happily drink it with a herb-flecked porchetta, letting the crunch of the fruit cut the fat.
