Founded in 1974, Querciabella enjoys the acclaim of the world’s most discriminating critics and consumers for wines such as Camartina, Batàr, Palafreno and Querciabella Chianti Classico. In its uncompromising pursuit of quality, sustainability and authenticity, Querciabella has continually honed its approach to biodynamic viticulture for over a decade.

The vineyards where the grapes for Camartina are grown are all located in close proximity to the winery in Ruffoli, on the hillside of Greve in Chianti. Casaocci Sud for Cabernet Sauvignon, and Montoro, Solatio and Tinamicaio for Sangiovese.They have been cultivated organically since 1988 and converted to plant-based biodynamic in 2000. Camartina is made and released only if the vintage reaches a very high quality level. 

The grapes are carefully selected in the vineyards and harvested by hand. The grapes are then destemmed, not crushed, and conveyed into temperature-controlled stainless steel vats or, just for the very best parcels, small temperature-controlled concrete vats. Here, alcoholic fermentation, maceration and malolactic fermentation take place. Macerations last about 12 days for the Sangiovese, and up to 20 days for the Cabernet Sauvignon.

The wine is then transferred to barriques. The different cépages undergo separate élevage for one year. At this stage, the best lots, selected through extensive tasting, are assembled into the final blend, and they undergo another year of élevage. 30% new French oak from Tronçais, Nevers and Allier. The wine is regularly racked and tasted during the whole barrel maturation. After bottling the wine rests for about six months before release. The wine is released no sooner than 30 months after harvest.

After a mild and dry winter, a cool, wet spring triggered a relatively slow growing season. However, the flowering and fruit set went well, anticipating a phenomenal harvest in quality and quantity. The first week of May saw the temperatures soar, and this heat continued through the Summer. It may have been torrid at times, but there were no problems with drought stress thanks to the abundant water reserves after the spring rains. September brought the desired day/night temperature differences, and excellent phenolic ripeness was achieved with beautiful skin-to-pulp ratios. Balmy conditions persisted well into the harvest that ended in mid-October with the last pickings of Sangiovese.