Our Italy editor tastes 20 vintages of a Super Tuscan that’s ‘never been better’

Camartina is a Super Tuscan you need to know – but there’s a pretty good chance you haven’t heard of it.

While the likes of Tignanello, Ornellaia and Sassicaia have dominated this illustrious category for decades, Camartina has kept a lower profile; a kind of ‘if you know, you know’ wine rather than an international superstar – despite winning plenty of plaudits along the way.

Camartina is the flagship wine of the Querciabella winery, located in Ruffoli, overlooking the Chianti Classico commune of Greve in Chianti. The estate was founded in 1974 by Giuseppe Castiglioni, who had lofty ambitions for his wines right from the start.

Notes on 40 years of Querciabella’s Camartina listed below

The Tachis factor

Castiglioni brought on renowned winemaking consultant, Giacomo Tachis, who had already proved his worth elsewhere by almost single-handedly creating the new category of Italian wines which collectively became known as the ‘SuperTuscans’.

Tachis had played a leading role in commercialising Sassicaia (which had originally been a wine for private consumption by the Incisa della Rocchetta family), and developing Tignanello and Solaia during his time as head oenologist at Antinori, where he was still working while consulting for Querciabella.

Camartina’s first vintage was 1981. It was designed to capitalise on the waves being made by those early Super Tuscans, using Querciabella’s finest Sangiovese plots blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and sometimes a little Merlot.

Back then, achieving fully ripe Sangiovese was not a given, and so these international varieties helped to give the wine a richer, glossier feel.

Camartina achieved early success but Castiglioni and Tachis – not ones to stand still – began to iterate and evolve the ‘recipe’.

The development of Camartina can be split into five key ‘eras’…

1981-1998: Sangiovese sings

The first era is typified by the original blend of 70-80% Sangiovese, 20-30% Cabernet and up to 10% Merlot, as conceived by Tachis. The earliest iteration of Camartina was very similar to Tignanello in this regard, highlighting the Tachis influence.

In 1988, Querciabella became certified organic, a decision driven by Castiglioni’s vegetarian son, Sebastiano. It became one of the first wineries in Italy to gain certification.

In the late-1990s, Castiglioni retired and Sebastiano took the reins at Querciabella. What followed was a period of transformation that would set the stage for the years to come.

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1999-2003: Chrysalis moment

This brief but very dynamic period for the estate was marked by the end of Chianti Riserva production in 1999 – until it was brought back 12 years later – and the departure of Tachis.

Tachis’ last full vintage, 1999, saw the Sangiovese in Camartina reduced to 60% and the Cabernet increased to 35%, signalling the beginning of a ‘chrysalis moment’.

The wine emerged at the end of this era in 2003 fully formed but almost unrecognisable from its former self. Cabernet Sauvignon was now the dominant variety in the blend (70%), giving the wine a flashier, more generous character in comparison to the relative delicacy of the Sangiovese-dominant years.

A side-effect of this change was that production had to be dramatically reduced, as there just wasn’t enough Cabernet Sauvignon to maintain Camartina’s former 35,000- to 39,000-bottle production at its height. Going forward, production would be between around 10,000 and 18,000 bottles, sometimes dipping even lower, depending on vintage.

It’s easy to think that the omnipotence of the US critics at this time had a part to play in the decision to make such a drastic change towards a Cabernet-driven wine.

But Querciabella’s current winemaker, Manfred Ing, explains that the key factor was a desire to clearly distinguish Camartina from the estate’s Chianti Classico, which was undergoing a transformation of its own towards a purer Sangiovese expression by 2004.

A new millennium dawns

In 2000, Querciabella embarked on a biodynamic path. Already certified organic, and inspired by Nicolas Joly of Coulée de Serrant, Sebastiano was keen to take the next step towards a holistic wine estate, with sustainability, quality and transparency being the ultimate goals.

2000 was the maiden vintage for Palafreno, originally a Merlot/Sangiovese blend but today 100% Merlot.

Marking the end of this era, as well as the proud first phase of Querciabella’s history, founder Giuseppe Castiglioni passed away in 2003.

2004-2009: Status quo

The third era is a relatively stable period for Camartina. The new formula of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese proved its worth as the consistency and quality from vintage to vintage was admirable – but there was more to come.

2010-today: A fresh pair of eyes

The fourth and most recent era marked the arrival of consultant Luca Currado and winemaker Manfred Ing, both from Vietti in Piedmont. With them came a recalibration of winemaking, including the introduction of micro-vinifications, which Ing explains allows for ‘more laser focus’ on each parcel before blending.

French oak vats are utilised for the Cabernet, while the estate’s best Sangiovese, found in both the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione and Camartina, is treated to submerged-cap fermentation in cement tanks, which is, says Ing, ‘more about infusion than extraction…something I learned a lot about in Piedmont’.

Around 40-50% whole-bunch fruit is used during fermentation , ‘giving a different layer of complexity’.

Since Currado and Ing’s arrival, there has also been a gradual move towards incorporating oak tonneaux for ageing the Sangiovese, while the Cabernet remains in barriques. The percentage of new oak has also been reduced, around 20% – even for the Cabernet – and the toasting is typically medium-light to minimise oak impact.

Patience is key for Ing and his team. ‘We prefer to be more patient with our picking,’ he says, explaining that waiting for optimal phenolic maturity can be risky but they make the winemaking process much easier to follow and the results are better.

Veganism and higher plots

In 2010, Sebastiano became vegan and, in line with his personal philosophy, banned all animal products at the winery, even manure.

The team stopped using the small selection of biodynamic preparations they had been using before, and began using a diverse selection of over 30 different cover crops (‘green manure’) instead. The winery became certified vegan in 2012.

Today run by Mita Castiglioni and her children, Andrea and Selene, Querciabella retains its organic and vegan philosophies, combined with the forward-looking vision that has always characterised the estate.

In 2020, Querciabella purchased plots in high altitude Lamole and began incorporating some of its fruit into Camartina and the Gran Selezione for the first time.

As an evolution of the previous decade, it’s perhaps too early to say for sure, but the results so far look pretty spectacular.

This year marks Camartina’s 40th anniversary with the release of the 2021 vintage. And it’s never been better!

Our Italy editor’s tasting notes for 20 vintages of Querciabella’s Camartina:

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