Perched in the hills of Val d’Arno di Sopra, between Florence and Arezzo, Petrolo is one of those estates where history, place, and a little bit of artistic obsession come together. The Bazzocchi family acquired the estate in the 1940s, and in 1947 Gastone Bazzocchi began shaping the modern estate with a particular ambition: to make great Sangiovese. His work laid the foundation for what Petrolo would become, including the historic Bòggina vineyard planted in the early 1950s.

The next chapter began with Gastone’s daughter, Lucia Bazzocchi Sanjust. In 1988, Lucia asked the renowned Tuscan winemaking consultant Giulio Gambelli to help create a new wine for the estate. The result was Torrione, and it marked a turning point for Petrolo. Rather than focusing on volume, the estate began concentrating on lower yields, rigorous grape selection, and wines that could express the character of the land.

Torrione is, in many ways, the wine that tells the story of Petrolo as a whole. It brings together grapes from across Petrolo’s vineyards: Sangiovese from Bòggina and other historic sites, Merlot from Galatrona, and Cabernet Sauvignon from Campo Lusso. The blend is a snapshot of the estate itself, with each vineyard contributing something different to the whole. 

Luca Sanjust, Lucia’s son, eventually carried this vision forward. Luca came to wine by way of art, having worked as a painter before returning to Tuscany and becoming increasingly involved with the family estate. His approach to winemaking has retained that same sense of curiosity and observation, whether working with the celebrated Merlot of Galatrona, the Sangiovese of Bòggina, or the other varieties and vineyards that make up Petrolo.

Today, Petrolo is beginning to enter its next generation. Luca’s son, Rocco Sanjust, has been increasingly involved in the estate alongside his father, working in the vineyards, cellar, and telling the story of Petrolo to a new generation of wine drinkers. Rocco has already taken an active role in the estate’s work with natural farming and experimentation, including the use of terracotta amphorae for Bòggina A. Recent years have seen father and son working side by side, with Rocco gradually taking on more responsibility while continuing the philosophy Luca has spent decades developing.

Today, Petrolo farms approximately 35 hectares of vines in the hills of Val d’Arno di Sopra, surrounded by oak woodland and olive groves. The vineyards sit between 250 and 500 meters above sea level, with a patchwork of galestro, sandstone, marl, alberese, and clay. Since 2004, the estate has progressively moved away from conventional farming and has been organically certified since 2016.

There is something particularly compelling about Petrolo’s ability to look backward without becoming nostalgic. The estate draws on old vines, historic varieties, traditional Tuscan blending, and the knowledge accumulated over generations, while continually experimenting with farming, fermentation, and individual vineyard expression. At the center of it all is the idea that the wines should first and foremost taste like Petrolo: the hills, the woods, the soils, and the people who have spent generations learning how to work with them.