Wine of the Week: Querciabella Gran Selezione

A fine red wine made under the Tuscan sun.

I fell in love with Querciabella a few years ago. It’s hard not to—the stunning Tuscan property is camped on the top of a hill in Greve, in the legendary confines of Chianti Classico. Their vines wind down and up the Etruscan hillsides, with landscapes that everyone from famed chef Dario Cecchini to actress Diane Lane have fallen for. There’s no shortage of Sangiovese makers in the region but Querciabella continues to rise above the rest. They oversee 220 acres of plush, verdant organic vineyards down in Radda and up in Lamole, on the very tippy top of Tuscany. 

Their entry-level wines (around $30 to $40) are excellent—rich, perfumed, expressive reds that punch well above their price tags. I opened a bottle with a pal recently and it sung beside raw tuna, ceviche, and a strip loin. But the pinnacle of the property is the Gran Selezione, the highest level of Chianti Classico and a testament to good viticulture, great land, and excellent winemaking. It’s polished and finessed, concentrated and packed with all these notes of blueberries and rosemary and oak (Querciabella does mean beautiful oak). Inimitable. $280

Kate Dingwall is a sommelier and wine writer. Her work frequently appears in Wine Enthusiast, Eater, Forbes.com, Vogue, and Food & Wine, and she pours wine at one of Canada’s top restaurants.