94 points “Querciabella’s 10 000 bottle annual production Riserva is a selection of superior lots. It blends fruit from Greve where their vineyards range from 350 to 550 metres with grapes from Radda’s high altitude stony sites and Gaiole’s limestone rich soils. The 2016 is restrained but precise. Intriguing scents of spring blossoms cranberry bush and potting soil are subtly laced with vanilla and smoke. Very polished and pure on palate with mouth-watering tangy acidity and sinewy tannins. This sophisticated buttoned-up Riserva could do with another year in the bottle.” – Decanter Magazine
93+ points “Sweet red cherry lavender rose petal mint and spice gradually develop in the glass… I very much like the energy here.” – Antonio Galloni’s Vinous Media
18 points “Beautiful concentrated ruby. Quite closed and backward but subtle and complex on the nose. Bags of concentrated fruit and yet super-elegant palate. Vibrant with perfectly built long fine tannins. Refreshing and complex.” – Walter Speller for Jancis Robinson’s Purple Pages
Fiercely modern yet true to Tuscany’s long-standing traditions; Querciabella’s Chianti Classico Riserva sets the benchmark for the entire region in our opinion. Created only in top vintages this blend from their finest plots in Greve Radda and Gaiole is matured in French oak for 16-20 months. Black cherry brambles plum crumble iron Cuban cigars and cedar polished to a dazzling shine; the extra ageing calls for slow cooking hearty dishes and long evenings of decadent pleasure.
The old adage ‘from small acorns grow mighty oaks’ has never been more apt. When steel magnate and wine lover Giuseppe ‘Pepito’ Castiglione planted a seed in a rundown hobby vineyard in 1974 few would have guessed that it would flourish into the mighty Querciabella – one of the most ethical pioneering and highly respected wineries on the planet. Although Pepito saw the potential it was his son Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni that launched the estate in Greve Tuscany to stardom growing it from a single vineyard into 69 hectares in Chianti Classico 32 hectares in Tuscany’s hottest real estate Maremma and a sustainable state-of-the-art winery complete with Tesla charging points for the environmentally conscious visitor. This truly remarkable man is an award-winning entrepreneur and a passionate vegan animal rights activist and climate change campaigner. When he isn’t sitting on the board of Sea Shepherd advising the International Anti-Poaching Foundation in Zimbabwe or investing in cutting-edge food like Beyond Meat and Vurger Co he can be found running probably the world’s only cruelty-free biodynamic winery Querciabella. Organic since 1988 shortly after they decided to go biodynamic. What makes them unique is that they’ve eschewed the spiritual aspects and the use of animal organs skulls and horns adopted by most practitioners. So as you sip Querciabella’s exceptional fine wines rest easy that no animal products or by-products have been used in any step of the farming or winemaking process. As respected critic Antonio Galloni says “Querciabella stands head and shoulders above any other estate in Chianti Classico. It’s as simple as that.”
SKU No.: 3330135
Style No.: 842941
Region: Tuscany
Grapes: Sangiovese
Closure: Cork
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 14%
Volume: 750ml
Allergens: Sulphites