Palazzi 2014
This year we made enough wine for about 2,000 bottles of Palazzi, made with 100% merlot from two different vineyards. As we saw during the harvest, pickings of merlot brought very different grapes. One could tell the individual flavors from a distance as the pickup trucks came to the winery: Palazzi blends the tastes of two vineyards this year, one growing on clay, one on sand. Tannins from the first are layered under the lusher, spicier liquid from the second. Alongside notes of sage, Palazzi possesses a pearl-like smoothness and a certain reserve.
REVIEWS
Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media, 93 points: “The 2014 Palazzi (Merlot) is classy, polished and super-expressive. In 2014, the Palazzi is naturally a bit lighter than in most years, but it also has more than enough depth to balance some of the more floral/savory notes that are so typical of the year. Sweet red cherry, cedar, tobacco, mint and blood orange all run through this expressive, pliant Merlot. All in all, the 2014 Palazzi is gracious and inviting. I would prefer to drink it over the medium term.”
Monica Larner, Robert Parker, 92 points: “The 2014 Palazzi is a delicious and succulent Merlot-based wine that wraps thickly over the palate and treads with a sure and steady pace. The bouquet is packed tight with luscious fruit, bold cherry, blackberry and sweet almond. This vintage delivers a surprisingly intense and vibrant expression of the grape. There is oak spice but it is integrated with an impressive level of expertise and finesse. This was a difficult vintage but you’d never know tasting this gorgeous wine.”
International Wine Report, 96 points: “‘Palazzi’ is an absolutely stunning 100% Merlot from Andrea Franchetti, which comes from two different vineyard sites, and spent 8 months in new French oak barrels and 11 months in cement tanks. The results are absolutely incredible as instantly opens to striking aromatics of blackberries and cassis, followed by graphite, tobacco, violets, charcoal and Asian spices, which all soar from the glass. This sophisticated Merlot impresses with its remarkable overall balance and finesse, with a full body that is structured around fine polished tannins and an absolutely gorgeous silky texture, which expands beautifully on to the long, sleek finish. Overall, Palazzi is an utterly compelling wine, which in this vintage looks to be one of the most successful wines from the entire region. (Best 2018-2028)”
100% Merlot
