Querciabella, an estate that helped shape the renaissance of Chianti Classico.

In the heart of Chianti Classico, the estate founded by Giuseppe “Pepito” Castiglioni has for more than fifty years embodied one of the most demanding expressions of Tuscany’s modern wine renaissance.

On the heights of Chianti

From the hills of Ruffoli above Greve in Chianti, the view stretches far into the distance. Rows of vines ripple between groves of oak trees, stone villages appear around the curves of the hills and, on clear days, Florence can be seen on the horizon. In winter, the peaks of the Apennines sometimes emerge in the distance, lightly dusted with snow. It is within this emblematic landscape of central Tuscany that Querciabella has built, over the decades, a distinctive identity among the great estates of Chianti Classico.

The vision of Pepito Castiglioni

The story of the estate begins in the early 1970s when Giuseppe “Pepito” Castiglioni, a Lombard entrepreneur who made his fortune in the steel industry and oil infrastructure, decided to invest in viticulture. A lover of great European wines, particularly those of Bourgogne and Bordeaux, he pursued a clear ambition: to produce Tuscan wines capable of standing alongside the world’s leading references. The estate was acquired in 1972. The first wines under the Querciabella label date from the 1974 vintage (Chianti Classico and Riserva Fattoria di Querciabella). he acquired a property on the hill of Ruffoli near Greve in Chianti. At the time, Chianti still carried a modest reputation and was largely associated with simple wines sold in the traditional straw-covered fiasco bottles. Castiglioni intended to break with that image and build an estate dedicated entirely to quality.

Although Giacomo Tachis had been a long-time friend of Pepito Giuseppe Castiglioni, he officially joined the estate as a consultant from 1993 to 1999. Before this, Querciabella tends to acknowledge the important role of Guido De Santi, who was appointed by Pepito in 1988 to help develop the estate. He oversaw the expansion of the winery, including the construction of new vinification facilities, as well as the creation of Batàr and the further refinement of Camartina. Another key historical figure for Querciabella was Luigi Veronelli, whose friendship with Pepito is often referenced in wine guides from the 1990s.

To bring this vision to life, Giuseppe Castiglioni quickly surrounded himself with one of the key figures in the renewal of Italian wine: the oenologist Giacomo Tachis. Already involved in the creation of legendary wines such as Sassicaia, Tignanello and Solaia, Tachis played a decisive role in the qualitative transformation of Tuscan viticulture. His collaboration with Querciabella helped place the estate within the movement that would later be known as the “Super Tuscans”.

Iconic wines

Camartina was originally conceived as a blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet; today, Camartina is Cabernet with some Sangiovese. The estate’s first flagship wine, Camartina, appeared with the 1981 vintage. A blend of Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, it quickly established itself as one of the emblematic wines of this new generation of Tuscan wines. Over time, Querciabella developed a portfolio that strengthened its international reputation. Among these wines is Batàr, a great Tuscan white inspired by the great whites of Bourgogne and crafted from Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc. Today regarded as one of Italy’s benchmark white wines, it illustrates the estate’s stylistic openness. Querciabella also produces Palafreno, a single‑vineyard Merlot, as well as several Chianti Classico expressions highlighting the purity and elegance of Sangiovese.

A pioneering viticulture

Pepito passed away in 2003, his son Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni took over the estate and continued the pursuit of excellence initiated by his father. Under his leadership, Querciabella strengthened its identity and firmly committed to sustainable viticulture. The estate became one of Tuscany’s pioneers of organic farming in the late 1980s before progressively adopting a biodynamic approach in the early 2000s. This philosophy also includes a rare decision in the wine world: the complete exclusion of animal‑derived products both in the vineyard and in the cellar. Regarding viticulture, since 1988, there has been no use of pesticides or herbicides (an initiative introduced by Guido De Santi). Organic certification was obtained around 2000, and biodynamic practices were adopted during the same period, albeit without formal certification. The winery generally refers to biodynamics as an evolution in Querciabella’s philosophy, which also led the winery to exclude animal-derived components, always intending to preserve the most natural balance of the micro-environment.

A mosaic of terroirs

Finally, Querciabella today comprises approximately 51.5 hectares of vineyards in Chianti Classico, across Ruffoli (Greve), Radda and Lamole, and a further c. 44 hectares in Maremma (with Gaiole representing a chapter of roughly a decade). In Chianti Classico, over 60% of plantings are Sangiovese.

Today Querciabella farms close to one hundred hectares of vineyards spread across several historic communes of Chianti Classico, notably Greve, Radda and Gaiole. The vineyards, located between roughly 350 and more than 600 metres above sea level, rest on a mosaic of soils and microclimates that contribute to the complexity and precision of the wines. The estate is also involved in the recent evolution of the appellation through the UGA project, the Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive, which seeks to highlight the distinct historic zones of Chianti Classico. Querciabella works notably with areas such as Greve and Lamole to refine the geographical identity of its wines.

A contemporary Tuscan signature

More than fifty years after its creation, Querciabella embodies a distinctive vision of Tuscan wine. A vision in which elegance, precision and terroir expression are combined with strong environmental commitment and a constant search for balance. In a Tuscan wine landscape profoundly transformed since the 1970s, the estate remains one of the producers that helped redefine the qualitative ambitions of Chianti Classico.