Querciabella: Great Chianti Classico Wines from Healthy, Eco-Friendly Vineyards
Agricola Querciabella was established in 1974 by Giuseppe Castiglioni in Ruffoli east of Greve (see map below). His son Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni, a well-known vegan and animal rights activist, converted the vineyard to organic in 1988 and to biodynamic agriculture in the year 2000. Special attention is paid to managing cover crops. High quality has been the goal since the beginning, as evidenced by the hiring of Giacomo Tacchis and Guido di Santi as consultants in the early years.
Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni
Located in Ruffoli east of Greve, the estate’s Chianti Classico fruit comes from 74 ha of hilly vineyards as high as 550 meters in Greve, Radda and Gaiole. Lower altitude vineyards have more clay soil and produce relatively low acid wine of great structure. The high-altitude vineyards have rocky, nutrient-poor soil that produces more elegant but less powerful wines of higher acidity.
Winemaker Manfred Ing
Manfred Ing (shown here pouring the 1994 Chianti Classico at the 2024 New York tasting), who studied at Stellenbosch University and has winemaking experience in South Africa, New Zealand, and the Piedmont, has been winemaker since 2009. He produces over 100 separate lots of wine from the low and high-altitude portions of 30 different Sangiovese vineyard parcels before blending and bottling. Guido de Santi is consulting winemaker. Importer: Maisons Marques & Domaines USA
The Wines
Querciabella 2021 Chianti Classico 93 Medium ruby red. An extraordinary “annata” from an exceptional vintage that reveals a multifaceted, floral nose of red berries and cherries. Silky on the attack with a decadently, lush mouth feel and perfect integration of fruit, wood and acid. Finishes on a youthful note with dry tannins. Sourced from vineyards in Greve, Radda, and Gaiole with lower-than-normal yields due to frost damage. Matured in fine-grained barriques and tonneaux for 14 months. pH 3.32, 14% alc. Querciabella 2020 Chianti Classico 92 There’s gorgeous red fruit in this vibrant, full bodied Chianti Classico. The wine is balanced with fine tannins, gorgeous fruit, and juicy persistence on the finish. Matured 12 months in 10% new barriques and tonneaux. 14% alc.
Querciabella 2020 Chianti Classico Riserva 94 Crystal clear medium red. This is a nicely refined Riserva showing a perfumed bouquet and a precise, silky textured palate. Lovely floral notes, red fruit, and earthy minerals are seamlessly integrated ending with fine-grained tannins. Sourced from vineyards in Greve, Gaiole, and Radda including Casole in the Lamole UGA. Matured in 20% new fine-grained French oak barriques and tonneaux for 16 months. pH 3.32, 14% alc. Querciabella 2019 Chianti Classico Riserva 94 Opens with aromas of dark cherries, black currant, and Earl Grey tea leaf. Excellent depth on the palate with a mouth filling quality. Finishes with mineral like notes and a lovely juicy persistence. A vineyard selection of high altitude parcels in Greve, Radda and Gaiole. Aged 18+ months in 20% new oak. pH 3.38, 14% alc.
Querciabella 2019 Gran Selezione Chianti Classico 97 Starbright medium red from core to the rim. A refined, all Sangiovese wine that opens with dark red fruit and underbrush scents with a hint of blood orange. Suave and full in the mouth with notes of herbs and spice complementing luscious fruit. Long, focused finish with delineated tannins. A vineyard blend from Greve. Fermented in stainless steel with malo in barriques and tonneaux followed by 18 months maturation in 25-30 hl botti. pH 3.33, 14% alc. Querciabella 2018 Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Greve 96 Expressive bouquet of dark berries and cherries with herbal and cigar box notes. Rich and densely packed on a refined palate, the fruit is incredibly pure with fine grained tannins. Sourced from the Ruffoli Vineyard in Greve at 500m with schist and sandstone soils. Fermented in stainless steel, goes through malo in barriques and tonneaux, and then aged 18 months in 25-30 hl botti. pH 3.47, 14% alc.
Querciabella 2020 Camartina Toscana IGT 95 The 2020 Camartina is dark fruited with nuances of spice, leather and savory herbs. It’s a well-oaked, elegant wine of considerable weight reflecting the 70% Cabernet Sauvignon blended with 30% Sangiovese. The Cabernet is matured in barriques, while the Sangiovese is aged in tonneaux before blending. Querciabella began making this Super Tuscan in 1981. 14% alc.
