2016 Camartina, Querciabella, Tuscany, Italy

The story of Querciabella, or its charming translation ‘beautiful oak’, started in 1974 when oenophile and businessman, Giuseppe (Pepito) Castiglioni brought the estate. The Castiglione family has always pushed boundaries, by planting non-indigenous grape varieties and converting their vineyards to Biodynamic farming. Since 1981, Camartina has been the estate’s leading Super-Tuscan. Camartina is part of a revolutionary but highly select group of wines, which firmly elevated Italian wine to the world stage. The estate was unhappy with the mediocrity of the Tuscan region, which, in turn, sparked creativity and innovation amongst the best wineries. Querciabella took a risk when producing Camartina, as they eschewed the strict rules of the Chianti Classico region. Originally, the blend of Camartina favoured Sangiovese but over the years, Cabernet Sauvignon has usurped the traditional, Tuscan grape variety. This is due to the Bordeaux variety acclimatising to Ruffoli’s sandstone slopes. French Oak is the material of choice for the fermentation vessels, creating integrated tannins in the wine. The Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon wines are matured separately for 18 months in French Oak barrels. The leading barrels are selected to make up the final blend.