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.

Turpino is a newer wine to the Querciabella portfolio with the first vintage in 2007. The grapes come from two vineyards: Ruffoli, which is the disintegration of quartz and feldspar sandstone produces deep and loose soil with sandy silt and strong presence of large stones, and Banditella, which contains a mixture of silt and alluvial sand with areas of gravel and surface pebbles that can be traced back to the Pleistocene.

As with all Querciabella wines, elegance and finesse trump muscle in Turpino – whose lifted aromas of violets and wild berries, and youthful ruby color, lead the way to delicate purity of fruit, roundness and depth, accompanied by fine and silky tannins. The name Turpino – like Palafreno and Mongrana which precede this wine in the Querciabella range – pays homage to Orlando Furioso, a 16th century Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto.

After gentle destemming, the grapes are transferred into three and five-ton oak fermenters, where they undergo a brief period of cold maceration in preparation for a slow and natural fermentation process – which is prompted by the presence of ambient (indigenous) yeast – under carefully monitored, temperature-controlled conditions. The completion of primary fermentation leads to a phase of post-fermentation maceration, during which daily tastings serve to track tannin development and stability.

The wine is then separated from the skins by draining the tank by means of gravity flow. Only the resulting ‘free run’ is used when the wine is racked into barrels (French; 225-liter; 20% new oak; tight grain for cabernet franc; tight-to-medium grain for syrah and merlot). Full malolactic fermentation occurs in the barriques followed by 16 months of élevage. Finally, the blend is made and moved into cement tanks for an integration period of 6 to 8 months before bottling. 

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

Ample rain and cool temperatures in the wineter were followed by dry, perfect spring conditions which lead to even bud burst throughout the valley. Summer was dry with sporadic rainfall. Heat spike early in the summer kept bunches small, resulting in a lower yield and beautiful fruit concentration with lively acidity.

The ideal serving temperature is 59-64°F.