Querciabella Chianti Classico DOCG

Tuscany, Italy

Vintage:2020 (Current)

2018 (Past) | 2019 (Current) |

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Querciabella Chianti Classico DOCG 2020
  • JS 93
  • JD 93
  • VFTC 92
  • WE 92
  • D 92
  • JR 17.5/20

Reviews

Wine Enthusiast 92 Points November 1, 2023, Danielle Callegari

“A delightfully tart nose is full of Rainier cherries and dried cranberries, with undertones of minerality and herbaceousness. The palate runs with the cherries and adds oranges to the mix, with a latent heat and a thrilling amount of acidity elevating a minty freshness through the finish.”

View From the Cellar 92 Points September 2023, John Gilman

“The 2020 vintage of Chianti Classico from Querciabella is a beautiful wine on both the nose and palate. Readers may recall that this bottling is made from one hundred percent sangiovese, raised in a combination of barriques and tonneaux and with ten percent of the oak new each year. The 2020 version comes in at fourteen percent octane and offers up a beautifully complex nose of cherries, red plums, cigar wrapper, lovely spice tones, a lovely foundation of soil, 28 gentle notes of cedar and a dollop of fresh oregano in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and complex, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil inflection, moderate tannins and fine length and grip on the well-balanced finish. This is certainly approachable today, but a year or two in the cellar will allow the backend tannins to fall away completely and the wine to drink with a more velvety texture. First class Chianti. 2023-2045+.”

JancisRobinson.com 17.5/20 Points February 14, 2023, Walter Speller

“Lustrous mid ruby. Perfumed and concentrated on the nose and finely balanced on the palate. Lots of polished tannins and vibrant red fruit. Suave and long.”

Decanter 92 Points February 12, 2023, Michaela Morris

“With an annual production of approximately 150,000 bottles, this is Querciabella’s calling card – and an impressive one at that. It also gives an incisive panoramic shot of the Chianti Classico region as it's a blend of estate vineyards in three different subzones. Bright and fresh, the 2020 annata emerges energetically out of the glass with exuberant and pure red cherry and currants. It gains intrigue with stylish touches of mocha, tarragon and truffles. It's full and vigorous yet light on its feet thanks to radiant acidity, while well-formed tannins lend just the right amount of chew. As suave as it is characterful.”

Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points January 28, 2023, Audrey Frick

“The 2020 Chianti Classico is impressive and pure, with ripe black cherry, a hint of blue fruit, violets, and sweet herbs. It is medium to full-bodied, with supple fruit throughout, fine grained tannins, and a polished feel. It displays fresh acidity without any harsh edges, but it is mouthwatering and compels returning for more. This beautiful wine from Querciabella is drinking well now, and I imagine will continue to improve over the coming decade or more.”

JamesSuckling.com 93 Points June 13, 2022, James Suckling

“Pure fruit on the nose, with rose hips, cherries, blueberries, lemon leaves and dried flowers. Medium-bodied with tangy acidity and firm tannins. Vibrant and elegant, with such purity of fruit. From organically grown grapes. Vegan. Drink or hold.”

Overview

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. With vineyards located throughout Tuscany’s Chianti Classico and Maremma areas, Querciabella exemplifies the mindful preservation of tradition through forward-thinking, albeit completely natural winemaking.

A wine and food lover's delight, Querciabella’s Chianti Classico represents the pinnacle of high-altitude, perfectly exposed Sangiovese fruit. A balancing act of crisp, inviting acidity, pure varietal fruit flavor and character deriving from sourcing the grapes from top sites in three of Chianti’s best sub-zones: Greve, Radda, and Gaiole.

In Greve, the Sangiovese enjoys 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 meters) and progressively become looser and more draining as they reach close to 550 meters. Similar characteristics can be found in Radda (450 meters), but the higher presence of galestro slate results in wines of persistent tannins and darker fruit profiles. At 500 meters, 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.

Winemaking

Grapes are carefully selected in the vineyards, and harvested by hand into 9kg crates. They are destemmed, never crushed, then conveyed into temperature-controlled stainless steel vats, where alcoholic fermentation and maceration take place. Maceration lasts about 12 days. After completing full malolactic fermentation, the wine is transferred into barriques and tonneaux.

The wine is regularly racked and tasted during the entire 12-month maturation period. At the end of the élevage, the best lots are selected through extensive tasting and assembled to create the final blend. After bottling, the wine rests for at least three months before release.

No animal products or byproducts are used in the production of this wine, making it suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

Harvest Notes

A year of uncertainty, 2020 was marked in the vineyards by the cold spell that hit the young buds in April, thus limiting the vintage’s volume. The persistent dry and hot weather conditions that followed lasted well into the summer, requiring meticulous canopy management to regulate the ratio between vegetation and developing bunches. Fortunately, timely rains in mid-August turned a laborious year into an excellent vintage that delivered incredibly fragrant musts, sweet and balanced to the taste.

Food Pairing

Enjoyable now with classic Tuscan dishes as well as fish and sashimi. Will reach maturity four to five years after harvest and will continue to evolve for at least another ten years.

Technical Information

Varietals: 100% Sangiovese

Wine Alcohol: 14%

Harvest End Date: September 18, 2020

Bottling Date: October 16, 2020

Aging: 12 months in fine to extra fine-grained oak barriques (225L) and tonneaux (500L) of which 10% new.