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| ~ The Lone Oak that inspires the estate’s name ~ |
Querciabella – “Beautiful Oak” – was founded in 1974 by Giuseppe Castiglioni and today is run by his determined and passionate son Sebastiano. Since 1988 the estate has been organically farming their vineyards throughout Tuscany – a feat that preceded many of the recent similar decisions by dozens of other wineries. Furthermore, since 2000, the estate is biodynamic and vegan – using no animal based fertilizers in their grape growing.
With 74 hectares (183 acres) of prime Chianti Classico vineyards spread across the communes of Greve, Panzano, Radda and Gaiole, in addition to 32 hectares (79 acres) in Maremma on Tuscany’s unspoiled Etruscan coast, Querciabella’s holdings represent the largest group of biodynamically farmed vineyards in Italy.
Querciabella produces a vast array of wines from these holdings and with every tasting, the estate’s wines emphasize the quality and passion being dedicated to the craft.
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| ~ Querciabella Vineyards ~ |
Today we’re covering the most recent release of a wine that has thus far only been produced in 3 vintages; Turpino.
Turpino, in Tuscan dialect, means “Mosaic”. It’s a reflection of small vineyard plots from Chianti Classico and Maremma being fitted together to form a cohesive expression. Only produced in exceptional vintages, the current wines two predecessors were 2010 and 2007. 2011 marks the triumvirate.
The 2011 Turpino is a stylish blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah. About 50% of the grapes originate from Querciabella’s Maremma property and the remainder are sourced from Greve.
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| ~ Oak fermentors in the Querciabella winery ~ |
Fermented in oak, the wine is separated from the skins using gravity as a means and only the resulting “free run juice” is racked into French barrique, 20% of which are new. After 16 months aging in barrique, the wine is transferred to oak cement tanks for 6-8 months before bottling.
Fresh and vibrant, this dark ruby wine displays intense floral aromas of lavender, and blue flowers that are accenting a laser like beam of black fruit flavors. Fresh notes of eucalyptus emerge after considerable aeration. On the palate, the flavors echo the nose with perfumed, ripe and juicy black fruit flavors and a slight smokey tobacco note that I attribute to the Syrah. Intense, caressing tannins provide wonderful structure. This is delicious and quite different from many Tuscan IGT blends. 92 points, good value around $32 but not yet fully released. Disclosure: This bottle was an importer provided sample.
E vero!
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