Petrolo Winery
„We believe that great wine is the poetic alchemical transformation of nature into culture.“
Luca Sanjust
Petrolo Winery
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The Petrolo Winery is located in the Val d'Arno di Sopra, in southern Chianti. However, artist, winemaker, owner and quality fanatic Luca Sanjust struggles with the categorisation as Chianti. This equation does not do justice to the "complexity of local production.
On the one hand, grapes such as Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, from which numerous "Supertuscans" have emerged, come from this region.
On the other hand, grapes from autochthonous grape varieties such as Sangiovese, Pugnitello, Foglia tonda or Malvasia bianca. In any case, the wines have little or nothing in common with the specifications of classic Chianti."
The Etruscans already cultivated wine in the region and knew about the quality of the soil. Luca Sanjust has been running the winery since 1980 in the third generation and has reorganised the business to produce top-quality wines. Sangiovese, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Trebbiano are cultivated, all from organic farming (certified since 2016), with deliberately low yields, high selection and gentle vinification. "Whereas in the 1950s, 1,500 plants per hectare yielded a total production of 3,500 hectolitres of wine, today the farm produces just under 700 hectolitres with 5,500 plants per hectare ... There is no simple wine at Petrolo, only great wines."
© Photos: Petrolo Winery