I have a bottle of Chianti to talk about–but first, a magical oak tree story.
Tuesday night I was out at dinner with my wife Sarah, and as we were leaving we got caught in a freak hailstorm. It was typical screwy North Texas early spring weather. Cool and sunny and then…bam! Blinding rain and marble-size hailstones. No fun to walk or drive in. So we ducked into our car and sought shelter under an enormous live oak.
Her trunk was wide enough to block the wind and her branches were knit together closely enough to stop any ice or debris from raining down on us. I noted these things and offered my thanks to her for sheltering us from the hail.
Now, trees don’t always talk back, but this one did and she was chatty. She concurred that she was in fact an aged and strong tree–the finest of trees–and that the storm was nothing. Then she added she was a Grandmother Oak and that she had little tree progeny spread out everywhere. They were so many, she said, that the offspring of her offspring were also countless in number. I relayed all this to Sarah and we laughed about it, comparing the tree to a proud granny who will show you a billfold or a phone full of grandkid photos at the slightest provocation.
After a while, we left the tree. The hail had ended but the rain and lightning picked up. Instead of struggling on the road, we decided to stop in a nearby Italian bistro to have a splash of wine and wait out the storm.
I ordered the house Chianti and laughed out loud when it was served: Querceto (oak grove), described on the label as the wine of “the oak-sheltered vineyards.”
So, here is the Querceto Chianti Classico Riserva (2019) from Castello di Querceto:
The color is a vibrant medium ruby. The nose is dominated by Amaro cherry, red plum skins, cedar shavings, and cured vanilla bean. Acidity, tannin, and alcohol are all on the moderate side. Mouth-filling, Black Forest cake flavors of kirsch, cocoa, and creamy vanilla take hold for a moment, only to relinquish their grip on the palate, revealing a medium-bodied wine tasting of sour cherry and thyme. The finish is slightly meaty with hints of wet leaves and tobacco.
In short, this Querceto is exactly what I needed last night to pass an hour or two out of the rain. It’s a balanced Chianti with a little age on it. It’s pleasant to sip on without food. And fittingly, it’s oaky.
The bottle I ordered was not a fancy one–it’s one of the restaurant’s standard by-the-glass pours–but I liked that the bartender confidently decanted the wine and came back later to chat about its tasting notes. When I got up to go the bathroom, I saw that they have a whole shelf full of decanters so they don’t need to be stingy with them–proper! The wine list has some interesting Italian bottles and the vibe is cozy. (We’ll be back soon, Antonio Ristorante.)
One more bit of good luck: The restaurant is near a private airport and we were seated next to a table of airplane pilots. They had just finished enjoying a wine dinner after work and they struck up a conversation.
The pilots were not surprised by the random storm–it turns out they have access to way better weather apps than the rest of us–but they were also drinking Chianti (and better Chianti). I think it was a Gran Selezione from San Felice. The restaurant was closing soon, so I graciously helped them finish the tail end of the bottle. 😉
All in all, an enchanted night. Thank you oak tree, thank you bartender, thank you pilots, and thank you wine gods! 🍷🍷
Bottle: Querceto Chianti Classico Riserva (2019)
Variety: Sangiovese (92%); Canaiolo, Colorino, Mammolo, and Ciliegiolo (8%)
ABV: 13.5%
Suggested retail: $27.99
My rating: 8.2 (out of 10)
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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