Querciabella - Batar

Querciabella was founded in 1974 by Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni, an accomplished industrial designer and creator of a multinational business network who also had a love for fine wine. His passion for great winemaking combined with his uncompromising vision has meant that Querciabella has quickly established itself as one of the leading wineries in Italy, earning acclaim of the world’s most discriminating critics.

Querciabella has vineyards located throughout Tuscany’s Chianti Classico and Meremma regions. Sebastiano’s strong commitment to the environment inspired him to convert the winery to biodynamics in 2000, and all of the wines are 100% vegan. Indeed Querciabella has one of the largest biodynamic vineyard holdings in all of Italy. The full range consists of seven different wines, reflecting the diversity of Tuscan terroir.

Interview with Manfred Ing, Winemaker

What would you say have been the most important moments in the history of Querciabella?

Founded in 1974 by avid wine collector Giuseppe ‘Pepito’ Castiglioni, at the beginning of what can be considered the ‘Supertuscan revolution’, Querciabella quickly rose to prominence with its elegant and beautifully crafted wines. Camartina (first vintage 1981) is still considered one of the benchmark supertuscans, while our Batàr is deemed by many to be the first and still the definitive ‘white supertuscan’. Under the stewardship of Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni, Pepito’s son, it was one of the first wineries to become fully organic in 1988 and became biodynamic in 2000, well before this practice became fashionable. In 1995, Querciabella purchased 32 hectares in Tuscan Maremma, in addition to those owned in Chianti Classico.

How would you describe the 2014 vintage in Tuscany?

Given the challenges of the ’14 vintage, it was patience and experience that allowed our fruit to fully benefit from the perfect ripening conditions at the end of September right through until the middle of October. While most were picking, we waited and those few weeks turned out to be the difference between average and excellent quality fruit. This has resulted in some terrific wines with a fine balance of fruit depth, tension and finesse (Manfred Ing, winemaker, about the 2014 vintage).

Toscana IGT refers to wines not covered by the various DOC, DOCG or other IGT designations in the region of Tuscany. A producer may wish to label his red, white, rosé or frizzante wine from Tuscany as a Toscana IGT, although this designation does not carry as much weight as a specific DOC or DOCG labeling, as those wines are much more specific as to where the grapes were grown. Thus a Toscana IGT has only a vague meaning, being a wine from Tuscany; it could be quite simple or it could be rather complex.

Most versions are red and are made from Sangiovese; some are unoaked, while many receive oak aging. The principal red variety would be Sangiovese, the region’s most famous and widely planted variety. Wines made from Sangiovese offer red cherry fruit with red floral perfumes, good acidity and moderate tannins; lighter versions, ready to drink upon release, pair well with tomato-based soups and lighter pastas, while the more full-bodied examples work well with roasts, game and aged cheeses.