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Querciabella Merlot Palafreno 2013 750ml

size
750ml
country
Italy
region
Tuscany
JS
96
VM
93
WS
93
Additional vintages
2017 2013 2012
JS
96
Rated 96 by James Suckling
Beautifully ripe mulberries take center stage as well as freshly picked brambleberries, plums and so much orange rind. Bursting with blue fruit and acidity, the palate is full and well structured, culminating in a long, juicy finish. Merlot magic. Easily the best ever. Drink now and delight in this. Made from organic grapes. ... More details
Image of bottle
Sample image only. Please see Item description for product Information. When ordering the item shipped will match the product listing if there are any discrepancies. Do not order solely on the label if you feel it does not match product description

Querciabella Merlot Palafreno 2013 750ml

SKU 877367
Case Only Purchase
Long-term Pre-Arrival
$647.70
/case
$107.95
/750ml bottle
Quantity
min order 6 bottles
* This is a Long-term Pre-arrival item and is available for online ordering only. This item will ship on a future date after a 4-8 months transfer time. For additional details about Pre-arrival Items please visit our FAQ page.
Professional Ratings
JS
96
VM
93
WS
93
JS
96
Rated 96 by James Suckling
Beautifully ripe mulberries take center stage as well as freshly picked brambleberries, plums and so much orange rind. Bursting with blue fruit and acidity, the palate is full and well structured, culminating in a long, juicy finish. Merlot magic. Easily the best ever. Drink now and delight in this. Made from organic grapes.
VM
93
Rated 93 by Vinous Media
The terrific 2013 Palafreno, 100% Merlot, is pliant, supple and super-expressive. Plum, black cherry, menthol, licorice, spice and dried flowers add aromatic nuance. Silky tannins wrap around the creamy, inviting finish. This fruit was picked during the last week of September, which is very much on the late side for the Merlot at Querciabella.
WS
93
Rated 93 by Wine Spectator
This is stylish, with a solid structure and plum and cherry flavors polished by toasty oak. Elements of baking spices, leather and underbrush complement the fruit as this glides to a long finish. Merlot. Drink now through 2028. 250 cases made, 12 cases imported.
Winery
Palafreno is a monumental Merlot with an ethereal lightness of touch. Exclusively released in years when ripening conditions are near perfection.
Product Details
size
750ml
country
Italy
region
Tuscany
Additional vintages
2017 2013 2012
Overview
Beautifully ripe mulberries take center stage as well as freshly picked brambleberries, plums and so much orange rind. Bursting with blue fruit and acidity, the palate is full and well structured, culminating in a long, juicy finish. Merlot magic. Easily the best ever. Drink now and delight in this. Made from organic grapes.
green grapes

Varietal: Merlot

With its dark blue colored fruits and high juice content, Merlot varietal grapes have long been a favorite of wine producers around the globe, with it being found in vineyards across Europe, the Americas and elsewhere in the New World. One of the distinguishing features of Merlot grapes is the fact that they have a relatively low tannin content and an exceptionally soft and fleshy character, meaning they are capable of producing incredibly rounded and mellow wines. This mellowness is balanced with plenty of flavor, however, and has made Merlot grapes the varietal of choice for softening other, more astringent and tannin-heavy wines, often resulting in truly exceptional produce. Merlot is regarded as one of the key 'Bordeaux' varietals for precisely this reason; when combined with the drier Cabernet Sauvignon, it is capable of blending beautifully to produce some of the finest wines available in the world.
barrel

Region: Tuscany

All over the stunning region of Tuscany in central Italy, you'll see rolling hills covered in green, healthy grapevines. This region is currently Italy's third largest producer of wines, but interestingly wineries here are generally happy with lower yields holding higher quality grapes, believing that they have a responsibility to uphold the excellent reputation of Tuscany, rather than let it slip into 'quantity over quality' wine-making as it did in the mid twentieth century. The region has a difficult soil type to work with, but the excellent climate and generations of expertise more than make up for this problem. Most commonly, Tuscan vintners grow Sangiovese and Vernaccia varietal grapes, although more and more varietals are being planted nowadays in order to produce other high quality wine styles.
fields

Country: Italy

It isn't difficult to understand why Italy is famed not just for the quality of its wines, but also for the vast variety and range of characteristics found in the wines there. The terrain of the country varies wildly, from the lush rolling green hills and valley of Tuscany, to the sun drenched rocky coasts of Sicily, the mountainous and alpine regions of the north, and the marshy lowlands of the east. Italy really does have a little bit of everything. Combine this huge range of landscapes with an almost perfect climate for grape cultivation, and you have a country seemingly designed for viticultural excellence. The results speak for themselves, and it is clear to see that wine has become an inseparable part of Italian culture as a result of its abundance and brilliance. Each village, city and region has a local wine perfectly matched with the cuisine of the area, and not an evening passes without the vast majority of Italian families raising a glass of locally sourced wine with pride and pleasure.
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More Details
Winery Querciabella
green grapes

Varietal: Merlot

With its dark blue colored fruits and high juice content, Merlot varietal grapes have long been a favorite of wine producers around the globe, with it being found in vineyards across Europe, the Americas and elsewhere in the New World. One of the distinguishing features of Merlot grapes is the fact that they have a relatively low tannin content and an exceptionally soft and fleshy character, meaning they are capable of producing incredibly rounded and mellow wines. This mellowness is balanced with plenty of flavor, however, and has made Merlot grapes the varietal of choice for softening other, more astringent and tannin-heavy wines, often resulting in truly exceptional produce. Merlot is regarded as one of the key 'Bordeaux' varietals for precisely this reason; when combined with the drier Cabernet Sauvignon, it is capable of blending beautifully to produce some of the finest wines available in the world.
barrel

Region: Tuscany

All over the stunning region of Tuscany in central Italy, you'll see rolling hills covered in green, healthy grapevines. This region is currently Italy's third largest producer of wines, but interestingly wineries here are generally happy with lower yields holding higher quality grapes, believing that they have a responsibility to uphold the excellent reputation of Tuscany, rather than let it slip into 'quantity over quality' wine-making as it did in the mid twentieth century. The region has a difficult soil type to work with, but the excellent climate and generations of expertise more than make up for this problem. Most commonly, Tuscan vintners grow Sangiovese and Vernaccia varietal grapes, although more and more varietals are being planted nowadays in order to produce other high quality wine styles.
fields

Country: Italy

It isn't difficult to understand why Italy is famed not just for the quality of its wines, but also for the vast variety and range of characteristics found in the wines there. The terrain of the country varies wildly, from the lush rolling green hills and valley of Tuscany, to the sun drenched rocky coasts of Sicily, the mountainous and alpine regions of the north, and the marshy lowlands of the east. Italy really does have a little bit of everything. Combine this huge range of landscapes with an almost perfect climate for grape cultivation, and you have a country seemingly designed for viticultural excellence. The results speak for themselves, and it is clear to see that wine has become an inseparable part of Italian culture as a result of its abundance and brilliance. Each village, city and region has a local wine perfectly matched with the cuisine of the area, and not an evening passes without the vast majority of Italian families raising a glass of locally sourced wine with pride and pleasure.