Petrolo's 2011 Galatrona is just as impressive this year as it was last year. A vivid, voluptuous wine, the 2011 literally jumps from the glass, showing superb intensity, power and depth. Mocha, black cherries, smoke, tobacco and leather are some of the many notes that inform this drop-dead gorgeous, extroverted Galatrona. The style is overt and unabashedly ripe, but all the elements are in the right place. Galatrona fans will adore the 2011. What a gorgeous wine this is.

This is a phenomenal pure merlot with blueberries, raspberries and hints of milk chocolate. Some nutmeg, too. Full body with very fine yet chewy tannins and a long, intense finish. Reminds me of the amazing 1998. Best ever from here. Needs four or five years of bottle age to soften.

The 2011 Galatrona is an immense and profound wine with great fruit intensity and lovely layers of richness and opulence. Galatrona is a pure expression of Merlot and is one of the best interpretations of the wine made anywhere on earth. What sets it apart is its Tuscan personality. In addition to soft cherry and blackberry, you get Mediterranean herb, tobacco and polished leather. The warmth of the 2011 vintage has succeeded in adding extra padding and textural richness to the wine. The tannins are luscious, soft and very smooth. (Monica Larner)