Petrolo Torrione 2021 - 75cl

Torrione is the wine that started Petrolo's modern story, first made in 1988 under the eye of the legendary Sangiovese whisperer Giulio Gambelli. It draws on every corner of the estate: Sangiovese from Bòggina, Merlot from the Galatrona hill, a touch of Cabernet from Campo Lusso. The estate calls it a photograph of Petrolo, and that's fair.

The blend lands at roughly 80% Sangiovese, 15% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon, farmed organically in the Val d'Arno di Sopra between Florence and Arezzo. Native-yeast fermentation happens in glazed concrete, with the wine then settling for 15 to 18 months across concrete, large botti and a few barriques — structure without a heavy oak stamp.

2021 is the vintage Tuscany had been waiting for: a cool start, a warm dry summer, timely rain. James Suckling gave this 95 points and Antonio Galloni called it one of the finest in memory. Expect dark and blue fruit, a whisper of cocoa and spice, crushed-stone minerality. It's medium to full but oddly weightless — bright acids run right through a core of cherry and plum, with new-leather and blood-orange edges. Fine-grained tannins, real drive.

Drink it now with food and it sings; give it two or three years and it deepens. Either way it punches well above a Sangiovese blend at this price.

How to Serve

Serve at 16 to 18°C in a large-bowled glass. Decant for an hour if you're opening it young — it repays the air. Cellar-worthy for a decade.

Where to Drink It

Scott's in Mayfair, for a proper meat course with a serious Tuscan red. Wiltons on Jermyn Street, all old-school ceremony. Planque near Haggerston, if you'd rather drink it somewhere that geeks out over the bottle.

Food Pairings

Roast lamb with rosemary is my first thought. Failing that, a rich mushroom and Parmesan risotto lets the savoury, earthy side of the Sangiovese do the talking.