Chianti is a red Italian wine produced in Tuscany. There are many theories as to the origin of
the name Chianti. Some say it can be attributed to the Etruscan term “clante” which
was a common name given to a person in that language, or to the Latin verb
“clango”, sound the trumpets and play the horns, probably referring to the
beginning of the hunt or another translation is cry of a bird.
What is a know fact is that the history of Chianti dates
back to before the 15th century, and that the name Chianti was well established
in the early fifteenth century.
It is historically associated with a bottle called a fiasco,
a blown glass container with a full, round
belly, lined with straw, however, the fiasco is only used
by a few makers of the wine now; most Chianti is now bottled in standard shaped
wine bottles.
Chianti Classico Castello di Querceto ’08
Glass $6.96
Bottle: 27.96
Sweet raspberry and flowers on the nose lead to a medium
body, with delicate tannins and a light vanilla bean finish. Wine spectator 85 Pts
Castello di Querceto is a Tuscan estate based close to the
town of Greve
in Chianti. It's vineyards are some of the highest in the area at 470 metres
above sea level, with 60 hectares of vines and a small olive grove. The
Castello also includes attractive holiday apartments, which have been
sympathetically restored.
The François family own Castello di Querceto, having settled
in Tuscany in
the 18th century from their French homeland. The castle, erected as a lookout
point, helped defend the area. Today it is encircled by forests and still
preserves its medieval appearance. At the beginning of the 20th century, Carlo
François transformed the property from a country residence into an agricultural
estate, and by 1924 it was one of the 33 estates that founded the Chianti
Classico Consortium.
Most of the vineyards were planted between 1975 and 1985,
with classical Chiant grape varieties Sangiovese, Canaiolo Nero, Colorino,
Mammolo, Ciliegiolo and Malvasia Nera. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc,
Syrah and Merlot are also planted, making a range of 'IGT' (Indicazione
Geografica Tipica) wines. For the estate's small production of white wines the
traditional Malvasia and Trebbiano are complemented by Chardonnay. The cellar
below the castle contains French barriques of Alliers, Tronçais and Limousin oak, which are
used for the maturation of IGT wines and the Chianti Classico Riserva. There
are also facilities for the production of Vinsanto and of olive oil.
