Palafreno 2017 shows impressive intensity, purity, and a remarkable balance between power and grace.
The best Cru sites are vineyards capable of producing outstanding wines. This is even more obvious in a vintage like 2017, one of the driest on record, that only the most experienced winemakers could navigate successfully. The scarcity of rain, a cold winter with a hint of frost, and a long, hot summer limited bunches and berries development, giving us more than a reason to worry.
As the growing season progressed, though, the vines turned out to be less affected by the punitive weather than we expected. Merlot especially had become accustomed to the hot and dry weather quite early in the year and, thanks to the moistness provided by the clayey soil, managed to withstand the scorching summer heat. Finally, September blessed us with timely rains and near-perfect conditions that lasted throughout the last weeks of the ripening season. We harvested healthy grapes with vibrant profiles and depth.
Blackberry, licorice, cloves and menthol all build in a resonant, super-expressive Merlot that will tempt readers with its considerable powers of seduction. The 2017 is classy and supremely elegant.
—Antonio Galloni 96/100
Tasting notes
Bright ruby core. Floral, herbaceous nose with hints of cinnamon, cocoa, and a touch of underbrush. Medium, velvety body swaddled in juicy flavours of ripe red cherries, liquorice, walnuts, baking spices and black plums rounded out by a firm, mouthwatering acidity complemented by lightly dusty, refined tannins. Savoury flavours mingle with elegant fruit notes, making this wine complex and expressive as it continues to evolve in the glass. There is a generous yet restrained fruit character evident right now, but the tertiary flavours’ depth is rumbling under and just starting to show what this wine can do in another 8-10 years.
