OVERVIEW Querceto di Castellina is a family-run organic winery and agriturismo nestled in the Tuscan countryside, between the villages of Radda and Castellina in .

Though Chianti Classico isn’t the only wine we produce, it’s a genuine Tuscan tradition we’re proud to craft by hand for the world’s pleasure. From the pruning of our vines to the selection of our grapes, we’re intensely focused on the art of great Italian winemaking. And we’re equally passionate about the earth, being a sustainable winery from the start in 1998 and certified organic since 2012.

We consider ourselves more of a boutique winery and our full range of award-winning wines includes:

• L’aura DOCG Chianti Classico • Sei DOCG Chianti Classico Gran Selezione • Podalirio IGT Toscana Merlot • Livia IGT Toscana Bianco

L’aura Chianti Classico was the very first wine produced in 1998, 3,300 bottles in total. The Querceto production has grown over the past 17 years to approximately 55,000 bottles/year across the range of 4 wines. Our wines can now be found all around the globe, in key markets with the United States, Canada, Russia and throughout Europe.

OUR PHILOSOPHY At Querceto di Castellina, we wholeheartedly believe great wine is made in the vineyard. It’s the reason we restructured our vineyards based on a study of the characteristics of the grape varieties on the estate to determine those best able to express our terroir. It’s also why we use organic techniques for managing our vines.

Year after year, we continually strive to produce high quality wines without chemical treatment and as little disruption as possible to our natural surroundings.

OUR STORY It was the love of the land and of an old estate in the rolling hills of the Chianti Classico that led Guido Masini, originally from , to acquire Querceto back in 1946. The estate became a retreat for him, where he was able to escape the busy city life with his family.

His daughter Laura and her husband Giorgio Di Battista took over the estate in the 1980’s and restored the 15th century cottages on the property and began renting them out as vacation apartments. A stay in one of the cottages offers the perfect blend for an authentic and unforgettable vacation in Toscana.

Laura also converted the rest of the property into a working farm with olive groves and focused on improving the vineyards, which had fallen into disrepair after decades of little investment in the vines.

However it wasn’t until the late 1990’s when their son Jacopo started working for the estate that the first vintage was bottled under the Querceto di Castellina label, with the help of winemaker Gioia Cresti.

Querceto is now truly a family affair with the youngest son, Filippo, having joined the company in 2014 as director of the agriturismo side of the business.

Loc. Querceto n. 9 - 53011 (Si) quercetodicastellina.com THE WINES L’aura Chianti Classico DOCG Variety: 100% Sangiovese Aging: 13 months French oak (225/500 lt.), 3 months in the bottle

The very first wine produced by the estate and appropriately named after owner and the heart of Querceto, Laura Di Battista.

A Chianti Classico of character and elegance, ruby red in color with an intense nose of ripe red fruits, and hints of spice and toasty aromas. This is a mouth-filling wine with soft, round tannins and an aftertaste of tobacco and cocoa.

Sei Chianti Classico DOCG Gran Selezione Variety: 90% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot Aging: Sangiovese 18 months French oak (500 lt.), Merlot 18 months French oak (225 lt.), 12 months in the bottle

Sei is an intense, ruby red wine with notes of red roses, potpourri and underlying hints of oriental spices and mint. Expressive and full the mouth with punchy acidity, balanced out by accentuated tannins.

Podalirio IGT Toscana Merlot Variety: 100% Merlot Aging: 18 months French oak (225 lt.), 12 months in the bottle

The first vintage of our Podalirio was back in 1999 and it’s our most award-winning wine to date. This powerful Super Tuscan has a dark, intense color and a nose dominated by notes of blackberry and blueberry with aromatics of dried flowers, and a noble spiciness of pepper, cocoa and vanilla. The palate is full with soft tannins, a long finish and a lingering taste of wild berries.

Livia IGT Toscana Bianco Variety: 50% Viognier, 50% Roussanne Aging: 8 months French oak (225 lt.), 3 months in the bottle

The only white wine produced by Querceto di Castellina, Livia is a unique blend of two French grapes and named after the granddaughter in the family.

It’s a white wine of distinction with an elegant nose of mimosa, magnolia, elderberries, apple and pineapple notes. The wine is strong, full and pleasant in the mouth and supported by a balanced acidity that holds the wine steady on its slow and aromatic path.

THE ESTATE & VINEYARDS Located in Querceto, between the Sienese towns of Castellina and , our estate extends for more than 125 acres with 27,20 planted with vines and roughly 7 acres of olive groves. 26,20 acres of the vineyards are enrolled in the Chianti Classico DOCG.

The estate is broken out into 6 separate vineyard areas - the Belvedere, Il Poggio, Campocorto, Campolungo, La Fonte and Livia vineyards. Each year our selection starts from a single source, taking only the best grapes from each plot to the cellar. From there, we carefully craft each and every wine with the goal of highlighting the unique characteristics of our terroir.

Our soil is medium in texture with limestone marl and rich in minerals. The spacing systems vary from a density between 4,800 and 6,666 plants per hectare (with the exception of our white wine vineyard with a density of 10,000/hectare).

Loc. Querceto n. 9 - 53011 Castellina in Chianti (Si) quercetodicastellina.com Depending on the vineyard, either the Cordon or Guyot training system is used on the vines. Sangiovese covers approximately 80% of the planted area, Merlot makes up the majority of the remaining planted area with Viognier and Roussanne vines taking up a small parcel (2,000 vines in total).

RECENT WINE RECOGNITION & AWARDS L’AURA DOCG CHIANTI CLASSICO 2013: 89pts Wine Spectator, InVino Veritas: One of the Top 8 Chianti Classicos Reviewed 2010: 90pts Wine Enthusiast, 90pts James Suckling 2007: 90pts Wine Spectator

SEI DOCG CHIANTI CLASSICO GRAN SELEZIONE 2011: 90pts International Wine Report, 92pts Tasting Panel, Vinum Top 6 Gran Selezione, Decanter WWA Bronze Medal, 89pts Wine Spectator, InVino Veritas One of the Top 6 Gran Selezione Reviewed, InVino Veritas “Best of 2015” (list of top 40 wines released in 2015)

PODALIRIO IGT TOSCANA MERLOT 2011: 90pts Wine Spectator, 91pts James Suckling 2010: 93pts Wine Spectator, 90pts James Suckling, Decanter WWA Bronze 2009: 92pts Wine Spectator 2007: 90pts Wine Spectator 2006: 94pts Wine Spectator

LIVIA IGT TOSCANA BIANCO 2013: Decanter WWA Bronze Medal

BELVEDERE DOCG CHIANTI CLASSICO RISERVA (no longer produce this wine) 2010: 90pts Wine Spectator, 91pts James Suckling, Vinum Top 5 Chianti Classico Riserva 2009: 92pts James Suckling, Decanter WWA Bronze 2007: Decanter WWA Silver Medal

Loc. Querceto n. 9 - 53011 Castellina in Chianti (Si) quercetodicastellina.com