2016 Batar
Estimated value
Buying options
Tasting notes
50% Chardonnay, 50% Pinot Bianco. ‘After a mild winter, the growing season kicked off early. After a warm start, spring saw very wet weather: the flowering was generally good, but cooler than normal temperatures affected fertility, reducing our yield slightly. In July, the weather turned hot and dry, interrupted in mid-August by beneficial rainfalls relieving the stress on the vines.’ Harvest 23 August to 12 September. Really pretty deep coppery gold. Big and beefy on the nose. Really fully evolved aromatically and it seems a little fatter than 2017 and 2018. Not the most appetising for me though it's certainly dramatic. (JR)
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Bianco. Whole-bunch pressed – 'another way to keep acidity'. After the alcoholic fermentation, the entire wine goes through MLF. 'That can be a challenge because it sometimes happens as late as February. So you need to work with precision and keep things clean.' Pinot Blanc clones came from Burgundy. Aged for less than 10 months in barriques (10–12% new oak) and 500-litre tonneaux, after which it goes back into tank before being bottled. A shade deeper than the 2017. A little less exuberant and more minerally, with distinct saline notes on the nose. Hints of hazelnuts and peach. Viscous, lemon curd and peach palate that is still quite closed and with soft creamy notes on the finish. Vertical and tight and closed, yet very long and with a great capacity to age. (WS)
The 2016 Batàr is superb. Candied lemon peel, mint, chamomile and lightly tropical notes are all laced together. In the glass, the 2016 has a real sense of phenolic intensity that offers a striking counter to the floral aromatics and expressive, layered fruit. The 2016 is 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Blanc, much of that younger plantings of the Gouges clones of Pinot Blanc sourced in Burgundy. Today, the Batàr is tightly wound and piercing in its brightness. Another few years in bottle should do the trick.
About the producer
Literally translating as “beautiful oak”, Querciabella was created in 1974 by Giuseppe Castiglioni. A pioneer in Chianti, he started farming biodynamically and experimenting with both varieties and winemaking – one result of which was Camartina, the property’s flagship Super Tuscan.