Querciabella
Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni
Querciabella is a property that inspires dreams as much for the perfection of its landscapes as for that of its wines. Rarely have I been able to visit such a perfect place. Here we are clearly at one of the biggest wine producers in the world and in my eyes one of the 2 or 3 best in Italy. None of the Querciabella cuvées are disappointing. All of them have a soul and a strength of character that make them by far the most interesting wines of Tuscany. There is no vulgarity in these wines which are distinguished above all by their extreme refinement. Querciabella is truly the Lafite-Rothschild of Italy. The vineyard is located in the heart of the Chianti region and has no less than 74 hectares distributed between the villages of Rada, Greve, Panzano and Gaiole, at an average altitude of 350 meters which is perfect to ensure a beautiful natural freshness to the wines. Batàr, the sublime blend of Chardonnay Pinot Blanc aged in new barrels is quite simply my favorite white wine from Italy. A very large bottle. We can consider ourselves happy when we have the chance to drink one. It's a party every time! All the other wines follow suit and combine the power of very ripe fruit, but never heavy, with an exquisite woodiness and tannins that could not be more velvety, greedy and fleshy but without any rusticity. The vineyard is exceptional and masterfully managed by Dales d'Alessandro, an expert in biodiversity and biodynamics as I have known very little in my life. Each plot of vines has its own beehives (a great hobby of Mr. Castiglioni, the owner of Querciabella) and its flower plantations which each bring their essence to the wine. Querciabella deserves the title of the most beautiful vineyard in the world. To make sure, just visit it.The vineyard has been organic since 1998 and biodynamic since 2000 but it must be said that Querciabella goes much further by no longer using any animal products and by not resorting to any external artifice to winemaking; even what is authorized organically is banned from the winery here. There is no doubt, Querciabella is one of those rare estates that inspires the whole world when it comes to wine.