IGT

Querciabella, Toscana, Camartina

Querciabella

Vintages 2021 2020 2018 2003 1999 1996

Querciabella's flagship Super Tuscan, Camartina blends Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese from the Ruffoli hill above Greve in Chianti, farmed biodynamically and aged 18 months in French barrique. Expect blackcurrant, plum, tobacco and leather over fi

UK Market From £68.87 Found across 5 retailers
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Tasting Notes

Tasting Querciabella's Camartina

Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese from the Ruffoli hill, aged 18 months in French barrique. Drinkers and critics alike find blackcurrant, plum, tobacco and an earthy, leathery depth.

Tasted by
ItalianWines editorial
Tasted on
6 June 2026
Source
Drinker consensus · confidence Medium
Taste profile
Body Light / Full
Tannins Smooth / Grippy
Sweetness Dry / Sweet
Acidity Soft / Crisp
Nose

The Ruffoli Cabernet leads with blackcurrant and blackberry, the Sangiovese folding in plum and morello cherry beneath. Tobacco, sweet spice and a vanilla lift from 18 months in French barrique sit on top. Vivino drinkers most often log oak, black fruit and an earthy, leathery edge across 1,096 tasting reviews.

Black cherryBlack cherry
BlackberryBlackberry
BlackcurrantBlackcurrant
PlumPlum
TobaccoTobacco
LeatherLeather
Black pepperBlack pepper
CinnamonCinnamon
VanillaVanilla
Palate

Full-bodied and firmly structured, with the Cabernet from Casaocci Sud's galestro slopes giving cassis and graphite grip while Poggerino's clay adds depth. Wine Spectator's Bruce Sanderson found black currant, plum, Mediterranean herbs and leather over a lively spine. Tannin is ripe and the alcohol balanced, true to Querciabella's pursuit of finesse over weight.

Finish

Long and earthy, closing on tobacco, cedar and a savoury mineral note that Sanderson described as a delineated, long earthy finish.

Overall

Querciabella's flagship Super Tuscan and a Toscana IGT made only in good vintages, released no sooner than 30 months after harvest. Vivino's crowd rates it 4.3 from 4,630 ratings and Wine-Searcher tracks a critic average near 93, the praise centred on its Bordeaux-like depth and ageability. One for collectors and a serious dinner, with a cellar life stretching past fifteen years.

Best by 2041
Live UK pricing

Buying Camartina across vintages

Camartina is made only in good vintages and held back 30 months before release, so older bottles like the 1999 and 2003 trade alongside the current Cabernet-led 2020 and 2021.

Best price · 75 cl £68.87 at 8wines
Price spread £68.87 – £322.33 Across 5 UK retailers tracked
Retailers tracked 5UK 6 in stock
Vintages live 2021 · 2020 · 2018 Current release: 2021
Per-litre (75 cl basis) £91.83 Per-litre price for the lowest current offer
Last checked 23 Jul 2026 Refreshed once every 24 hours
Wine fit score

How Camartina scores for fit

A premium, age-worthy flagship: strong on food, cellar and occasion, but priced well above an everyday Toscana IGT.

Best for an occasion 9.2/10

Querciabella's history-making flagship Super Tuscan, high in prestige and price and a regular among Top World Wines lists, is a natural choice for a celebration.

Best with food 9.0/10

Sangiovese acidity plus ripe Cabernet tannin make Camartina a versatile partner for red meat, game and mushroom dishes, the role the producer designs it for.

Best for cellar 9.0/10

Released no sooner than 30 months after harvest, aged 18 months in French barrique and built on firm Cabernet tannin, Camartina routinely ages fifteen to twenty years.

Best value 4.5/10

Among the highest-priced Toscana IGT wines, with a Wine-Searcher UK average near GBP 93; quality is high but it sits above its category median, so value is moderate rather than strong.

Scoring is rule-based and deterministic. The model and weightings are documented in our Wine Fit Score methodology.

Denomination Compliance Snapshot

Toscana in five fields

A compact view of what the Toscana denomination actually requires, and how this bottle sits inside it. Pulled from the official Italian disciplinare.

Allowed grapes
Variety list not yet recorded
This bottle: Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese.
Minimum ageing
Recorded by producer
Disciplinare ageing rule not yet recorded.
Region / area
Arezzo · Firenze · Grosseto · Livorno · Lucca · Massa Carrara · Pisa · Pistoia · Prato · Siena
Source: Disciplinare.
Style
IGT · Toscana
Classification
IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica)
Retailer Shortlist

Where to Buy

Compare tracked offers from verified retailers at a glance. Stock is shown only where the retailer exposes it. Logos, sale pricing, and the strongest offer are surfaced first.

Best Live Price £68.87
Retailers Tracked 5
Last Checked 23 Jul 2026
Great Wines Direct logo

Great Wines Direct

In stock
Vintage 2021
£98.44
£131.25/L · checked 23 Jul
Visit retailer
75 cl · Low stock confidence
Vino logo

Vino

In stock
Vintage 2020
£108.00
£144.00/L · checked 23 Jul
Visit retailer
75 cl · On sale (was £125.58) · Low stock confidence
Vintages

Camartina vintage by vintage

From the heat-marked 2003 to the exceptional, critic-acclaimed 2021, each Ruffoli harvest shapes the balance of Cabernet power and Sangiovese lift.

2021 Current release
Lowest price
£98.44
Retailers
1 in stock
ABV
14.5%
Window
Drink now through 2041

An outstanding Tuscan vintage: Decanter's James Button gave the 2021 Camartina 97 and Vinous's Antonio Galloni 96, with Daniele Cernilli of DoctorWine awarding 98. Built for long cellaring.

2020 Previous release
Lowest price
£68.87
Retailers
2 in stock
ABV
13.5%
Window
Drink now through 2034

A warm but balanced Ruffoli vintage that Wine Spectator's Bruce Sanderson scored 94 for its black currant, Mediterranean herb and earthy finish. Tannico rates it 96 and gives a 2024 to 2034 window.

2018 Previous release
Lowest price
£322.33
Retailers
0 in stock · 1 awaiting restock
ABV
14.5%
Window
Drink now through 2038

A cooler, classically proportioned Tuscan year that favoured freshness and lift over power, suiting Camartina's finesse. Approachable now with a decade or more of cellaring ahead.

2003 Previous release
Lowest price
£106.00
Retailers
1 in stock
ABV
13.5%
Window
Drink now through 2023

The 2003 European heatwave gave a riper, more concentrated and atypical Camartina with softer acidity than the Ruffoli norm. A vintage to drink up rather than cellar.

Drink-now / hold guidance reflects general style cues for this wine, not a forecast for a specific bottle. Where vintage-level editorial notes exist, they appear above.

The disciplinare, the place, the label

Why Camartina sits among the Super Tuscans

Querciabella's flagship since 1981, Camartina helped raise the standing of Tuscan reds and was named Best Italian Wine in 2004. Annual production is capped near 10,000 bottles.

01

DOC, DOCG, IGT: what the badges mean

Italian wine law sorts bottles into a pyramid. DOCG sits at the top: tightly drawn boundaries, prescribed grapes, mandatory ageing, government tasting before release. DOC is the same idea with looser thresholds. IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) is broader still, requiring only that 85% of the grapes come from the named territory.

Toscana is in the IGT tier. That is not a quality verdict, it is a description of how much freedom the producer has at vinification and ageing.

02

The denomination rules, in detail

  • Allowed grapes. Varieties not yet recorded
  • Tasting panel. No mandatory pre-release tasting
03

Region and area context

Toscana falls within Tuscany , covering Arezzo · Firenze · Grosseto · Livorno · Lucca · Massa Carrara · Pisa · Pistoia · Prato · Siena.

04

Reading the label

  • QuerciabellaProducer / estate
  • Cabernet Sauvignon · SangioveseGrape varieties (in declared order of dominance)
  • Toscana IGTGeographic indication and quality tier
  • 2021Vintage (year of harvest)
  • 14.5% vol · 75 clAlcohol by volume and bottle size
  • Imbottigliato all’origineEstate-bottled
05

What sits behind the price of Querciabella, Toscana, Camartina

Tracked from
£68.87
Direction
Mostly cost up
Drivers
6 up / 0 down
Main factor
Low-yield Ruffoli fruit, made only in good vintages
  1. 01

    Low-yield Ruffoli fruit, made only in good vintages

    Cost up

    Querciabella declares Camartina solely in optimal years and caps output near 10,000 bottles, so scarcity and selection push the price well above a standard Toscana IGT.

  2. 02

    18 months in French oak barrique plus long pre-release ageing

    Cost up

    The wine spends 18 months in French barrique and is held back at least 30 months from harvest, tying up new-oak and cellar cost for years before any sale.

  3. 03

    Plant-based biodynamic, vegan and organic farming

    Cost up

    Certified biodynamic, vegan and organic viticulture on the Ruffoli slopes is labour-intensive and lower-yielding, adding to the cost in the glass.

  4. 04

    Flagship Super Tuscan reputation and critic demand

    Cost up

    Decanter, Vinous and DoctorWine routinely score recent Camartina 94 to 98, and a Wine-Searcher UK average near GBP 93 reflects the premium that prestige commands.

  5. 05

    UK duty and VAT on a still red wine

    Cost up

    HMRC still-wine duty is about GBP 2.67 a bottle at 2026 rates, and 20% VAT on a roughly GBP 106 UK price adds close to GBP 18 before any retailer margin.

  6. 06

    Mature back-vintages carry holding cost

    Cost up

    Older releases such as the 1996, 1999 and 2003 have been cellared for decades, and that storage and rarity is priced into bottles trading above GBP 100.

01

Low-yield Ruffoli fruit, made only in good vintages

Cost up

Querciabella declares Camartina solely in optimal years and caps output near 10,000 bottles, so scarcity and selection push the price well above a standard Toscana IGT.

Perfect Pairings

Dishes that complement this wine

Food Pairing

Cabernet structure, Sangiovese acidity: what fits Camartina

A full-bodied red that needs weighty food. The producer points to Bistecca alla Fiorentina, game and mushrooms; the structure also handles roast lamb and rich Tuscan secondi.

Body matching Strong match

Chargrilled Tuscan beef

Camartina is full-bodied with a firm Cabernet frame, so it needs a dish of equal weight. The char and rendered fat of a thick bistecca meet the wine's structure head on, while ripe tannin scrubs the palate between bites. This is the producer's own first pairing suggestion.

Try with: Fiorentina steak · Bistecca alla Fiorentina · Chargrilled T-bone · More pairings →

Tannin softening Strong match

Roast lamb and red-meat roasts

The protein and fat in roast lamb bind Camartina's ripe Cabernet tannin, softening grip and letting the blackcurrant and leather come through. The wine's savoury, herb-edged profile echoes rosemary and garlic on the joint. A classic structured-red and roast match.

Try with: Rack of lamb · Lamb chops · Leg of lamb · More pairings →

Aromatic bridge Good match

Porcini and earthy mushroom dishes

Querciabella names mushrooms the ideal canvas for Camartina, and the wine's earthy, leathery, tobacco-tinged notes bridge straight to dried porcini. The umami of the mushroom flatters the Sangiovese's savoury side without fighting the Cabernet's depth.

Try with: Porcini mushroom risotto · Truffle risotto · Wild mushroom polenta · More pairings →

Body matching Good match

Slow-cooked game and braises

Venison and other game carry the concentration to stand up to a wine the producer holds 30 months before release. Camartina's plum and morello-cherry fruit lifts the gaminess while its acidity cuts through a rich, reduced braising sauce.

Try with: Venison Stew · Beef wellington · Wild boar ragu · More pairings →

Fat cutting Good match

Veal shin and rich Tuscan secondi

The Sangiovese half of the blend brings the acidity that slices through the marrow and gelatinous richness of slow-braised veal, while Cabernet tannin keeps the palate fresh. Camartina's finesse stops the pairing turning heavy.

Try with: Ossobuco alla Milanese · Veal chops with salsa verde · Peposo · More pairings →

Avoid Clash

Avoid chilli heat and delicate fish

Camartina's 14.5% alcohol and firm Cabernet tannin amplify chilli heat and turn bitter against it, so spicy dishes clash. Its weight and oak also flatten delicate white fish and shellfish, which need a crisp Italian white such as Vermentino di Gallura instead.

Skip with: Vindaloo · Sichuan chilli beef · Steamed sea bass · Oysters · Pairing guide →

Drinking + cellar

Cellaring a Ruffoli Super Tuscan

Built on firm Cabernet tannin and released years after harvest, Camartina rewards patience, with strong vintages drinking well for fifteen to twenty years.

Drinking window
2025 → 2041

Peak around 2031. Best in the years above; holds without falling over either side.

Decanting
h1

A short splash decant softens the first-pour edge and opens the aromatics.

Cellar potential
High

Released no sooner than 30 months after harvest, aged 18 months in French barrique and built on firm Cabernet tannin, Camartina routinely ages fifteen to twenty years.

Buy now or wait?
Buy now

£68.87 is the lowest tracked offer for the current vintage and we have no signal of further discounting.

Sources & trust

Where these Camartina notes come from

Prices & stock

Read directly from each retailer’s public product page once a day. Last refresh: 23 Jul 2026, 08:43 BST. We do not hold stock and we do not accept payment for placement.

Confidence · High
Tasting notes

Drawn from what drinkers consistently report on Vivino and Wine-Searcher, summarised in our own words. A crowd read across many tasters, not a single critic.

Confidence · Medium
Appellation rules & ageing

From the official Italian disciplinare for this denomination, cross-checked against the Ministry of Agriculture register.

Confidence · High
Why it costs what it costs

Our reading of the price, drawn from the disciplinare, public UK duty rates, and typical landed-cost benchmarks. Not a quote from the producer or a retailer.

Confidence · Medium
Drink window & cellar potential

Style guidance for this kind of wine at this price point. Treat it as advice, not a forecast for the bottle in your hand.

Confidence · Medium
Related

Camartina across Querciabella, Tuscany and Sangiovese

Common Questions

Camartina is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. Recent vintages such as the 2020 are led by Cabernet (around 70 percent) with Sangiovese making up the balance, a reversal of the original 1981 recipe that was Sangiovese-dominant.

Yes. Camartina is Querciabella's flagship Super Tuscan, made since 1981 and bottled as Toscana IGT because its international-grape blend sits outside the Chianti Classico rules. It was one of the wines that raised the global standing of Tuscan reds.

Camartina is released no sooner than 30 months after harvest and is built to age. Strong vintages such as 2019 and 2021 will drink well for fifteen to twenty years, while mature releases like the 1999 are best enjoyed now.

Pour it with weighty dishes: Bistecca alla Fiorentina, roast lamb, slow-cooked game and porcini or truffle risotto. The producer names mushrooms the ideal canvas and even suggests dark chocolate desserts.

Yes. Querciabella farms the Ruffoli vineyards under plant-based biodynamics and Camartina carries both vegan and organic certifications.

It is made only in good vintages from low-yielding Ruffoli fruit, aged 18 months in French barrique and held back for years before release, with annual production capped near 10,000 bottles. It ranks among the highest-priced Toscana IGT wines.

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Querciabella, Toscana, Camartina