Palazzi showcases Merlot at its best, with plush, supple fruit balanced by intense minerality. A blend of grapes from across the estate, Palazzi comes from a selection of older vines of merlot, comprising about five to seven hectares. Several months in new barrel add layers of richness and complexity, making the wine approachable and pleasing from release, with elegant structure that can stand the test of time. It is one of the great examples of Italian merlot, and only a small quantity is produced each year.
Wine Spectator, 97 points: “There’s great purity to this red, along with ripe plum, blackberry, chocolate, olive tapenade and toasty oak flavors. The tannins are civilized, while the refreshing acidity lends precision and focus. Showing terrific balance overall, this saturated the palate in the end, staying persistent and long. Approachable now, yet should improve. Merlot. Best from 2026 through 2042. 125 cases made, 40 cases imported.”
The Wine Advocate, 95 points: “The Tenuta di Trinoro 2021 Palazzi is 100% Merlot, although this vintage feels especially dark and brooding, pushing this often-docile grape to extreme limits. The wine taste ripe but not excessively so, although the 15.5% alcohol content is impossible to ignore. To the palate, the wine is velvety and rich, and you get intense end notes of blackberry, crème de cassis and dark spice. Everything is well integrated, but nothing is understated.”
Decanter, 95 points: “In 2021, the grapes for Palazzi – the estate’s 100% Merlot – were picked four days after the eventual mid-September rainfall which quenched the vines after an arid summer. Rich aromas of red and black cherry, cocoa, dried herbs and plum introduces a textural, glossy wine of good intensity lifted by some mid-palate menthol. Cocoa-infused red, black and blue fruits vie for attention. Dusty and earthy notes hang in the background while up front, balsam and black pepper emerge. The tannins are fine-grained, but feel slightly drying on the long finish.
Ultimately, though, there’s impressive balance despite the weight of the wine and its warming alcohol; the fresh acidity helps to give it poise and control.”
Vinous, 96 points: “The 2021 Palazzi is 100% Merlot. Dark red plum, blood orange, pomegranate, spice box and a kiss of French oak are all dialed up. Seamless and layered, with no hard edges, this sumptuous, exotic red hits all the right notes. What a gorgeous and utterly compelling wine it is. “
