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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
Querciabella, in Italian, means “beautiful oak”. Our winery in the Chianti Classico region is surrounded by them and they are intrinsic to the flavour of our entire business.
The label was designed by Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni and features exclusive artwork from Italian painter Bernardino Luino.
The typeface Simona was designed by Jane Patterson and John Downer for Querciabella’s exclusive and proprietary use.
Querciabella Chianti Classico Riserva is the perfect blend of the estate’s best parcels of Sangiovese from vineyards in Greve, Radda and Gaiole in Chianti. Through a rigorous micro-vinification regime, we are keen to explore and exalt their minute details to bring our varietal expression of Sangiovese to a superior level.
Our refined ability to blend harmoniously single Cru wines is paramount in crafting a Chianti Classico Riserva of great complexity, drinkability and finesse. True to the saying that ‘the whole should be greater than the sum of its parts, we blend Sangiovese from Greve where vineyards range from 350 to 550 metres a.s.l., with grapes from Radda’s high altitude stony sites and Gaiole’s limestone-rich soils. Every plot has different nuances brought out by our vegan biodynamics and then carried through into the cellar with individual fermentation and barreling.
2011 was the first vintage we released as a designated “Riserva” since 1999. The reception from our clients and the press has been outstanding. Daniele Cernilli of Doctor Wine described the 2013 vintage of Querciabella Riserva as the “perfect Chianti Classico” when he awarded the wine 99 points; most recently, Querciabella Riserva 2016 was awarded the highest score in its category by Walter Speller during its extensive report of Chianti Classico Collection.
No animal products or byproducts are used in the production of this wine, making it suitable for vegans and vegetarians.
Appellation: Chianti Classico DOCG Riserva
First vintage: 2011
Variety: 100% Sangiovese
Viticulture: Plant-based biodynamics
Certifications: Vegan, Organic
Average yield (wine): 30 hl/ha
Ageing: 16 months in French oak barriques and tonneaux
Annual production: 10,000 bottles
Average alcohol content: 14.0%
Vineyards: In Greve, our vineyards of Sangiovese enjoy a natural south-orientation. The soils, typically composed of sandstone rocks and sands obtained from the flaking of galestro, are richer in clay at lower altitudes (350 – 400 m a.s.l.) and progressively become looser and more draining as they reach close to 550 m a.s.l. Similar characteristics can be found in Radda (450 m a.s.l.), but the higher presence of galestro slate results in wines of persistent tannins and darker fruit profiles.
At 500 m a.s.l., the soils in Gaiole are rich in calcium carbonate and deliver a riper expression of the Sangiovese fruit and a marked acidity thanks to the presence of limestone rocks, also known as Albarese.
Food pairing: Querciabella Riserva shows the dashing side of Sangiovese with a magnificent body and structural components.
Concentrated and vibrant, this wine suggests a dish that lets its complexity shine like vegan Eggplant Parmigiana or Braised Cannellini beans with escarole and Beyond Meat® sausages.
Vuosikerta 2018
ITALY 2018 - Evaluation Report
After the gloom of 2017, 2018 saw Italy bounce back, with abundant and healthy harvests in all major wine regions. The total harvest increased by 24% compared to the annus horribilis of 2017, which corresponds to an average year. Typically, picking began about a week later than the exceptionally early 2017 harvest.
Trentino-Alto Adige: 2018 saw a 23% increase in volume compared to the 2017 harvest. Heavy rains at the end of August threatened to compromise the harvest, but a return to warmer weather has allowed to produce healthy grapes. In Mezzacorona in Trentino, the reports from 2018 are extremely positive. Volumes are up 10% compared to average and even more compared to the two previous vintages. Budding took place two weeks later than usual, which made it possible to avoid the risk of spring frosts, which, together with balanced precipitation and continued warm and sunny weather, made it possible to create conditions ideal for a successful harvest. Picking began in mid-August with Chardonnay for Rotari wines and early indications of quality are good, with fresh, aromatic whites and elegant, well-balanced reds expected.
Veneto: After near-perfect conditions during the 2018 growing season, Prosecco producers are hailing this harvest as one of the best ever, certainly in terms of size, with Canevel reporting a ten percent increase in volume compared to 2017. A hot summer followed by a cooler period with some rain in the weeks preceding the harvest allowed the grapes to develop good levels of concentration and acidity. In Masi, volumes returned to average levels after the short 2017 harvest, increasing by ten percent compared to the previous year. The spring was warm and sunny, interspersed with periods of abundant rain, promoting good growth. In total, the precipitation was not higher than the seasonal average and the sparse clusters, due to poor flowering, allowed air to circulate freely around the grapes, which helped avoid the risk of mold. Quality is expected to be particularly high for Amarone from the Valpolicella region as cool, dry weather in September and October provided the ideal conditions for the grape drying process, while Soave also saw an average crop of healthy grapes harvested.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia: Friuli experienced a good harvest, with volumes up sharply compared to 2017. Record temperatures at the start of August accelerated the harvest and provided perfect conditions for picking ripe grapes and healthy. Masi began harvesting Pinot Grigio and Verduzzo on August 16 and completed picking Merlot and Refosco during the last week of September, recording a 15% increase in size compared to 2017.
Piedmont: Piedmont had an extremely successful 2018, with volumes up 35% compared to the previous year. The harvest has been a success across the region, with Barbera and Nebbiolo all looking good as well as the increasingly prominent Cortese.
Tuscany and Umbria: Chianti Classico was able to report an extremely successful vintage, with a regular growing season and no extreme weather events leading to a good harvest of healthy and ripe but fresh grapes. Antinori reports that the season passed without excessive heat and with enough rain to encourage plant growth. The harvest size was more normal following the shortages of 2017 and the wines themselves are elegant, with silky tannins, rather than large and powerful as they were in 2017. Bolgheri experienced wet conditions which presented a risk of mildew, which always required careful work in the vineyard.
Marche & Abruzzo: In Matelica, Bisci recorded a slight increase in production. A cold winter was followed by an average spring. The summer was relatively hot, but the extreme heat of 2017 was not felt and precipitation increased compared to the previous year, which helped avoid stress on the vines. The result was a good harvest of ripe and healthy grapes. To the south, in the Montepulciano country, La Valentina experienced a steady winter, with frequent spring and summer rainstorms in Montalcino being just as problematic, with a greater proportion of the crop lost to disease. Umbria saw a 40% increase in volume compared to the previous vintage