2023 Chianti Classico

As usual, I tasted a wide range of wines at Querciabella. Not that I am complaining, as tastings here are so illuminative given the estate’s focus on new Gran Seleziones and the shift in farming and winemaking styles that have defined the last fifteen years or so. The 2022s are strong across the board. “The secret to 2022 was waiting,” Winemaker Manfred Ing opined. “When it rains, people start to panic, they see other people picking, and so they pick too. We brought in our last fruit, Sangiovese from Lamole, on October 11, 7-10 days earlier than 2024, but still on the later side for us.” I also had a chance to taste the 2021 Gran Seleziones. The wines have all shut down after bottling, hardly a surprise for wines from an important year made in a style that seeks vibrancy over opulence. Readers will have to be patient. Last but certainly not least, I was deeply impressed with the 2023 Mongrana, Querciabella’s entry-level offering from the Tuscan coast. Readers in search of a gorgeous, affordable Tuscan red will love it.