Castello di Querceto Wine estate

Castello di Querceto was built to defend the neighbourhood. It stood as a sentinel along one of the major roads, in past times, the Imperial Roman Via Cassia road. The original medieval building was ransacked, burned to the ground and demolished at the close of the fifteenth century during one of the many wars fought during that period. Also destroyed was the settlement surrounding the castle. The François family purchased the estate in 1897, a ‘hallmark’ or symbol of a longstanding Chianti Classico winemaking tradition.

The Castello di Querceto vineyards are located at an altitude between 350 and 520 meters above sea level and the exposures vary in an arc that goes from east to south and then to west. The vines present are largely red-berried, among which Sangiovese obviously stands out, flanked by Canaiolo, Colorino, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Syrah, Merlot and other indigenous varieties. White grapes are Malvasia del Chianti, Trebbiano Toscano, San Colombano and Chardonnay. A heterogeneity of grapes dictated by the desire to interpret the characteristics of the soil, its exposure and its altitude. The entire production structure of Castello di Querceto is concentrated in the heart of the company, near the Castle. From the warehouses to the bottling room up to the four cellars where the various stages of the wine production process take place: fermentation and first processing, storage and aging. Further rooms are used for the production and aging of Vin Santo and for the production of extra virgin olive oil.

You can visit the the old wine cellars smelling the aromas of the wines that mature in precious oak barrels and where best vintages starting from 1904 are kept. The aging cellars are located in the basement of the Castle and in the basement of one of the recently built buildings. Inside, barriques and tonneaux from Allier, Tronçais and Limousin, together with small oak barrels with a capacity of between 10 and 40 hl are used for the aging of the Crus del Castello and the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione and Riserva.