2005 Querciabella Mongrana Rosso

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  6/27/2007, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (Querciabella Mongrana) Querciabella Dear Friends, Nothing makes me smile more than Querciabella finally having their day in the sun. With the release of the new Wine Advocate today, Sebastiano Castiglione and his revolutionary and pioneering winery will be the most sought after property in Tuscany... I have always felt a great affinity for Seba (as his friends call him) and his philosophy on organic living and organic viticulture have spawned a cadre of copycats. Querciabella was one of the first estates in Italy to throw out the pesticide salesman, to go their own way with a modern approach that included getting back to tradition with non-intervention and elegance. Seba was smart enough to combine that retro philosophy with spa-like graphics on his labels and the combination has been a huge success in Europe...but the US never truly understood. A Tuscan winery that was just as known for their Batard-Montrachet like wine (Batar) as their Super Tuscan (Camartina)? Strange in the eyes of the consumer but anyone that has tasted a vertical of the wines, both red and white, will tell you these are Tuscany’s finest wines from top to bottom, year in and year out. You can take the 1997 Percarlo for a handsome sum any day and I’ll take the 1997 Camartina just fine. Querciabella’s non-interventionist ways emphasize the purest and most elegant expression of the grape and more than one taster has used the word “noble” to describe the portfolio of Querciabella. These are wines of breed and that is why I am very excited to debut their new wine from their new vineyard in the Maremma - Mongrana, a wine that carries on the tradition of nobility for a new generation. Mongrana has been several years in the works, at least five but more like a decade. If it would bear the Querciabella name, it would have to be worthy of the heritage and that’s just what they’ve managed to do. For a wine at this price, the rest of Tuscany better wake up early tomorrow morning to figure out how to compete with this. From a blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Sangiovese (all treated with Bordelaise delicacy) raised mostly in traditional cement tanks and a portion in barrel, the wine is the result of so much dedication and hard work that its restraint, medium body and varietal purity are almost expected. The feminine Margaux-like qualities are hard to ignore and as an everyday wine, it is going to wine and dine many hearts. A proud moment for Tuscany. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMEDED as a new standard in the Maremma for a price that is unquestionably a statement to the consumer and the rest of Italy ONE SMALL SHIPMENT ONLY with perfect provenance: 2005 Querciabella “Mongrana” IGT (Maremma) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy9879