Querciabella farms its Tuscan hills organically, and Batar is the estate's white blend: Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco grown on the slopes of the Chianti hills and bottled under the Toscana IGT, the catch-all appellation that lets a Tuscan estate plant what it likes and name it plainly.
- Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco, a Bordeaux-white pairing grown in Tuscany.
- Toscana IGT, the region's flexible appellation for non-traditional blends.
- 2019, a warm vintage across central Italy.
- Full-bodied, dry, 13.5% ABV.
- Low tannin, medium acidity.
How it is made
Both grapes are picked and vinified separately, then brought together. The Chardonnay gives the weight and the creamy mid-palate; the Pinot Bianco keeps it from going soft, adding the citrus edge and the flinty note that shows up on the finish.
How it tastes
White peach first, then citrus, then a hazelnut richness that comes from the Chardonnay side of the blend. The texture is the point: full and creamy, but with a mineral, struck-stone streak running underneath that stops it feeling heavy. Dry, low in tannin, and built to hold.
Where it comes from
Tuscany is red wine country by reputation, Sangiovese above all, which is exactly why a white like this is worth noticing. The Toscana IGT was created so estates could work outside the old DOC rules, and it is where a lot of the region's most interesting bottlings now sit.
Good to know
Querciabella has farmed its vineyards organically since the 1980s, and biodynamically since the early 2000s, well before either was fashionable in Tuscany. Batar takes its name from the ancient Etruscan word for the area's wild ducks.
