In the vast landscape of Italian white wines, Verdicchio from the Marche region in the center of the country stands out as one of the most promising. Few white grapes show as much versatility or, more importantly, the exceptional capacity for bottle aging.
Verdicchio’s versatility means that the grape is suitable for making high-acidity sparkling wine, youthful table wines with electric primary fruit, as well as more elaborate and textured Riserva expressions that may or may not include late-harvest fruit, reductive winemaking, longer skin maceration, lees aging, some degree of malolactic fermentation and oak aging. The possibilities are endless.
Verdicchio
The true magic of the grape, however, is in the fact that even a stainless steel-only Verdicchio made according to simple, hands-off winemaking should continue to evolve beautifully over the next 10 years or more.
“Verdicchio expresses itself from the inside, not so much from the skins or the seeds, but from the actual fruit pulp,” says Bisci winemaker Aroldo Bellelli.
Where to?
With more than 2,000 hectares of vines, the biggest appellation is Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. The term “castelli” refers to the many villages of the winemaking zone found between the Apennines Mountains and the Adriatic Sea. Some of these are Montecarotto, Castelplanio, Maiolati Spontini, Cupramontana, San Paolo di Jesi and Staffolo.
Wines from Castelli di Jesi in the province of Ancona tend to reflect some of the more generous characteristics that are in line with a territory with a Mediterranean climate that is open to the sea. The flavor profiles show orchard fruit and Golden Delicious apple with hints of spicy ginger, licorice and saffron. These wines are fleshed out and elegantly textured.
That saffron turns into the proverbial white pepper as soon as you move into the neighboring Matelica region (in the province of Macerata), a much smaller denomination that also focuses on Verdicchio. The so-called Matelica “magic” comes thanks to the area’s mountainous elevations, steep diurnal shifts and continental climate. These wines are very vertical in nature, with tight aromas and pronounced minerality.
Verdicchio vineyards at Tenuta di Tavignano
This report of 165 wines shines a spotlight on Verdicchio. I tasted these wines over three visits to the region, including a two-day tour of wineries that I have detailed below.
Within these notes you will find quite a few vertical tastings that attest to the aging qualities of Verdicchio. You will also find a great number of excellent value wines (priced from $18 to $25) that I highly recommend.
Chef Errico Recanati (lower left) of Michelin-starred Ristorante Andreina (https://guide.michelin.com/en/marche/loreto/restaurant/andreina) works magic on the grill and uses smoke as an ingredient. Two of his signature dishes are cacio e pepi (upper left) cooked over open embers in the fireplace (upper right) and his piglet on a spit (lower right).
Borrowing from a tradition of mare e monti, or surf and turf, the Marche region offers an exciting array of local culinary specialties that pair with young or aged Verdicchio alike.
Day One
My first day of winery visits focused on the hilltop villages that make up the Castelli di Jesi region.
La Staffa
My first winery visit was to La Staffa in the village of Staffolo, which is inhabited by a very passionate population known as the Staffolani. There is no better place to start a tasting tour of Verdicchio. This boutique winery makes some of the best expressions I have tasted to date, and much of what makes these wines so exciting is the passion of the man who creates them.
"I have simple rules for winemaking," says La Staffa owner and winemaker, Riccardo Baldi." First, I make wines that reflect the vintage. Second, I make wines that reflect the territory. Third, I make wines that I like."
Riccardo Baldi with his impossibly vertical vineyards in the background
This certified organic winemaker farms nine hectares of vines around the winery in the Contrada Castellaretta. In addition, he has two higher-elevation crus: the two-hectare Rincrocca planted in 1972 and the 1.3-hectare Selva di Sotto with sandstone and marine fossils. Both are above 550 meters in elevation. Selva di Sotto is only bottled on its own in the best vintages, otherwise the fruit is blended elsewhere.
A winery room with a view
"Like Pinot Noir in Burgundy or Nebbiolo in Langa, Verdicchio is a grape that is very sensitive to its surrounding territory," he says. At La Staffa, cement tanks are used for a reductive winemaking approach. Lees aging and bâtonnage are prioritized, as is bottle aging. The single-vineyard bottling from Selva di Sotto sees three years in bottle before its commercial release.
Cement vats
Located at the heart of the Castelli di Jesi appellation, Staffolo is a village with about 2,000 inhabitants. It is also home to 20 active wineries, which draws comparison to Burgundy or Piedmont in terms of its winemaker-to-general-population ratio. "A family can support itself here with just three to five hectares of vines," he says.
Downtown Staffolo
The villages of Staffolo, Cupramontana and Montecarotto draw a golden triangle that delineates the best areas for Verdichio, according to Baldi. The village of Staffolo makes wines that are recognized for their structure and elegance. Cooler conditions mean that fruit is harvested about 10 days later than average. The village is said to be named after the Greek word "staphile" for "grape cluster." The hills around Staffolo represent the first hills that protect from the weather that comes off the Adriatic Sea.
La Staffa’s production
"The consumer does not know it yet because they think that Verdicchio has one face. In fact, it is a wine with many faces," says Baldi.
Tenuta di Tavignano
Ondine de la Feld was named CEO of Tenuta di Tavignano in 2021, and although the estate was founded back in 1963, women did not traditionally inherit agricultural properties. Breaking with those cultural standards, female heirs have managed this historic estate since 2013.
Ondine de la Feld
Located in Cingoli, Tenuta di Tavignano is a sprawling certified organic farm with huge swaths of arable land (with grains and cereals) and 33 hectares of cordon- and guyot-trained grapevines. The vineyards are inland but still touched by climatic influences from the Adriatic Sea at 350 meters in elevation.
There are 19 hectares of Verdicchio vines that were planted in front of the winery in 1999 on white clays soils.
“The wind is always perfect here, and it helps to create the right conditions for organic agriculture,” says Ondine de la Feld.
Verdicchio on white soils
The estate wine program is very ambitious, starting with popular bag-in-box products at the lower end and moving up to a Cru line of single-vineyard wines. There is a Dosaggio Zero sparkler and a couple of very youthful and punchy wines under the I Mostri line. They also make two oak-aged reds.
Tasting at Tenuta di Tavignano
One of the most beautiful wines is the Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva Classico Misco made with late-harvest fruit. During my visit to the winery, we went through a little vertical of vintages 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2014 and the stunning 2013.
Old presses
“Verdicchio is a vigorous variety that makes lots of fruit, which is beneficial to commercial wineries,” says Ondine de la Feld. “We have poor soils that cut back on vigor, and that’s why we are happy to adopt a quality winemaking philosophy as opposed to quantity.”
Sartarelli
Sartarelli is one of the best-known Castelli di Jesi estates. In 2020, the winery celebrated its 50th birthday. It counts 40 hectares of vines, with an additional seven that are leased.
Grandfather Ferruccio Sartarelli founded the estate that is managed by his daughter, Donatella, and her husband, Patrizio Chiacchiarini, today. A third generation, Caterina and Tommaso, are also fully dedicated to the family business.
Patrizio Chiacchiarini
Sartarelli has about seven hectares of vines in front of the winery (which is ingeniously clad in cork siding) in the village of Poggio San Marcello. The largest parcels are found in the valleys near the Esino River. The Sartarelli family has worked hard to identify different clones of the Verdicchio variety.
Sartarelli vineyards in front of the winery
First produced in 1993, the headline wine is the late-harvest Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Balciana, but this estate has a big portfolio of still wines and an interesting sparkling wine. A new wine, the 2020 Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva Classico 50 Milletta, has recently been added.
The cork-clad Sartarelli winery
Patrizio Chiacchiarini was a baker who later joined the family business. "Between baking bread and making wine, I much prefer making wine." Today, Sartarelli produces 250,000 bottles per year.
Poderi Mattioli
And before you know it, Giordano Mattioli has pretty much opened every single wine he has ever made.
Tasting at Poderi Mattioli
My visit to Poderi Mattioli in the village of Serra de' Conti on the western flank of the Castelli di Jesi appellation gave me an excellent perspective on the aging potential and bottle evolution of Verdicchio.
Giordano Mattioli
Poderi Mattioli's first vintage was 2010. The estate only produces three wines. Two are still wines, and one is a Metodo Classico sparkling wine. The two table wines are the Castello di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva Classico Lauro and the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Ylice.
Vineyards in front of Poderi Mattioli's winery
Farming is organic, and this area enjoys a unique soil profile with sandstone mixed with lots of ancient shells and marine fossils. Poderi Mattioli also has hillside vineyards with heavier clay soils that result in more structured wines.
Soils from an ancient seabed
The two single-vineyard Verdicchios from 2018 are outstanding and already show hints of tertiary kerosene and saffron. I also especially liked the 2010 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Ylice, thanks to its graceful mineral shadings.
Villa Bucci
Ampelio Bucci counts Gravner in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Pieropan in Soave, Valentini in Abruzzo and Di Meo in Campania as some of the Italian white wine producers that inspire him most. In truth, the wines of Villa Bucci have inspired many young producers who seek to make quality Verdicchio today.
Ampelio Bucci
Villa Bucci, with its historic cellars, old-fashioned agricultural buildings (kept in museum-like condition) and hilltop vineyards, represents the most traditional and time-honored side of Castelli di Jesi winemaking. The winery makes its headquarters in the village of Ostra Vetere and has been active since the 1700s.
Old vines of Verdicchio at sunset
The entire property covers 350 hectares, over plains and hillsides, with organic grapevines, grain, corn, sunflowers and other crops. There are 25 hectares of vines in the Castelli di Jesi appellation (over six parcels) and six hectares of Montepulciano and Sangiovese in the Rosso Piceno denomination. The oldest Verdicchio vines have surpassed the 60-year mark in the Vigna Montefiore in Serra de' Conti. Villa Bucci has worked to identify clones with university researchers.
Inspiration wall at Villa Bucci
In the 1960s and 1970s, Ampelio Bucci worked in the fashion and design industries. But a love for wine and agriculture brought him back home to the Marche. He decided to dedicate his efforts to quality winemaking.
Villa Bucci prioritizes tradition
There is the higher-end Villa Bucci line and Bucci. "Villa Bucci expresses a vintage, and Bucci represents a style," says Ampelio Bucci.
Day Two
My second day of visits took me into the mountainous Matelica area (after one last stop in Castelli di Jesi).
Pievalta
Pievalta is the Castelli di Jesi estate owned by Franciacorta sparkling wine producer Barone Pizzini. This beautiful property located in the village of Maiolati Spontini is managed by winemakers Alessandro Fenino and his wife, Silvia Loschi.
The Pievalta vineyards
Barono Pizzini acquired the property in 2002, including 24.5 hectares of vines. Five years later, an additional five hectares were added in the village of San Paolo di Jesi. Winemaking has been organic from the beginning and biodynamic (but not certified) since 2005. In addition to Verdicchio, there is some Montepulciano. The total of land under vines today comes to 32 hectares.
Alessandro Fenino and Silvia Loschi
The Verdicchio program extends across four villages, or "castelli." They are Maiolati Spontini, with compact clay soils; Montecarotto, with sandstone soils; San Paolo di Jesi, with steep inclines, old vines and views of the Adriatic Sea; and Cupramontana.
Single-vineyard winemaking
Winemaking is straightforward. The grapes are hand harvested in small bins and dumped directly into a bladder press. The wine decants in stainless steel and ferments with wild yeasts (pied de cuve with foot stomping).
Vineyard visitors
Cement tanks were added to the winery in 2018, and some neutral oak is used for some of the most important vineyard selections.
Bisci
Bisci was my first winery visit after crossing into the Matelica region in the province of Macerata. It would be impossible to exaggerate how different the landscape is in Matelica compared to Jesi. Even the light is whiter and sharper over on this side. The drive between these two Verdicchio areas takes under an hour, but the voyage takes you through steep gorges and dramatic mountain passes into another world.
The Bisci estate starts with a long drive through the vineyard up to a large winery and other buildings. The backdrop is framed by steep mountains. I met with Aroldo Bellelli, winemaker and vineyard manager, and Andrea Ferretti, who is a business manager and joined the team in 2017.
Bisci winemaker Aroldo Bellelli (left) and Andrea Ferretti (right)
We discussed many of the differences between these two Verdicchio growing areas. The most obvious is that Jesi consists of gentle, hilly viticulture, whereas the Matelica environment is steeper, almost mountainous. Jesi enjoys a milder Mediterranean climate, but Matelica has continental influences, especially if you consider the steep diurnal shifts.
Bisci vineyards in Matelica
"Our wines are very much based on acidity," says Bellelli. "Overall temperatures are a few degrees warmer in Jesi compared to Matelica; but we also experience sudden drops in nighttime temperatures, and this gives our vines the chance to recover following the hot daylight hours." However, he adds that vineyard management and disease control can be more challenging in Matelica.
Bisci is a historic winery, and its success is what put Matelica on the map. It was founded by the Bisci family in 1972 and is run by Mauro and Tito Bisci today. It has 25 hectares under vine, and the entire Matelica area counts 350 hectares of vines. Farming is organic, and the vines are located at a cool 340 to 380 meters in elevation.
The Bisci lineup
During my visit, we enjoyed a mini vertical of the excellent Bisci 2015 Verdicchio di Matelica Vigneto Fogliano (with the 2020, 2019, 2015 and 2013 vintages poured) to better understand the evolution of cool-climate mountainous Verdicchio.
Borgo Paglianetto
My second visit in Matelica was to the dynamic Borgo Paglianetto estate. It was founded by five partners and today produces 11 wines, including one Metodo Classico sparkling, for a total of 130,000 bottles released annually. The estate was purchased in 1993, but winemaking started in 2003. The team is young, tightly knit and full of enthusiasm.
The Borgo Paglianetto team, from left to right: Laura Menichelli, owner Luciano Bruzzechesse, Martina Camoni, winemaker Francesco Tavolini and Marco Vecchioli
Borgo Paglianetto is located within the cozy confines of the Alta Valle dell'Esino in the Matelica hills. This is the only valley in the area with a true north-to-south layout, and the cool climate is dictated by this fact. The estate has 29 hectare of vines across three parcels. In addition to Verdicchio, it farms the red grapes Sangiovese, Merlot, Montepulciano and Lacrima. It has been certified for organics since 2013.
Fall colors at Borgo Paglianetto
"Verdicchio from Matelica needs more time in bottle compared to Verdicchio from Jesi," says sales manager Marco Vecchiolo.
Borgo Paglianetto makes elegant wines that are bright, lifted and show very precise aromas. I especially liked the slightly softer and more fleshed-out 2018 Verdicchio di Matelica Riserva Jera. That wine spends more time aging on the lees. We also tasted a few back vintages, and these wines showed beautifully.
Day Three
I made a second trip to the Marche region to visit one of the leading wineries, Umani Ronchi.
Umani Ronchi
Umani Ronchi is one of the leading wineries in central Italy, with 210 hectare of vines spread across three main areas: Verdicchio, Conero and Abruzzo. Looking specifically at the white grape, this estate has 100 hectares of Verdicchio located in seven parcels. Since the 1970s, Umani Ronchi's land holdings have doubled, and 85% of the old vines have been renewed.
Old Verdichio vines in Montecarotto
The winery was founded by Gino Umani Ronchi in 1957 in the village of Cupramontana. Partners Roberto Bianchi and Massimo Bernetti joined in 1968. Today, the estate is managed by Michele Bernetti, who joined the company full-time in 1990.
Michele Bernetti
The legendary Tuscan winemaker Giacomo Tachis helped set Umani Ronchi on its path and helped to create some of its most famous wines, such as Pelago, the Montepulciano, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend, which was first made in 1994. Tachis left in 2001 just as the estate came into its own with a new state-of-the-art winery in Osimo, a commitment to organics and new projects in the neighboring Abruzzo wine region.
The Umani Ronchi cellar room
The bread-and-butter wines are Verdicchio and Rosso Conero, but Umani Ronchi also focuses on Pecorino and Lacrima di Morro d'Alba.
New Verdicchio vines in Montecarotto
This estate is celebrated for its commitment to issues surrounding biodiversity and sustainability. As owners of the elegant Grand Hotel Palace in the port city of Ancona, it is also uniquely positioned to forge synergies between wine tourism and hospitality in the Marche region.
Verdicchio safari
Umani Ronchi's Verdiccio program has three main wines, starting with the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore CaSal di Serra, which is a blend of fruit from various areas. The Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva Plenio, with fruit from Cupramontana, sees some oak aging. My favorite is the cement-only (and no malolactic fermentation) Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Vecchie Vigne, with fruit from four hectares of vines planted in 1971 in Montecarotto.
A perfect pairing for young Verdicchio? Why not try the local Marche specialty, moscioli gratinati, or wild mussels from the seaside town of Portonovo served with breadcrumbs.
Monica Larner reviews the wines of Italy, Greece and South Africa. Born in Los Angeles, she has lived in Rome on and off since age 11 and has written several books about her adopted home. Her family makes wine in California. She has written about wine for more than 20 years, starting off as the Italy reviewer for Wine Enthusiast in 2003 and moving over to The Wine Advocate in 2013 in the same capacity. She sometimes appears on Italian television and has contributed articles on Italian wine to Italy's largest daily newspaper, Il Corriere della Sera. She has received the top prize for wine writing given by the Comitato Grandi Cru d'Italia at Vinitaly a record four times. Many of the wines that have touched her most come from Italy's vast patrimony of indigenous grapes: Nebbiolo, Sangiovese and Carricante, among others. Her work in Greece takes that love of native grapes to the next level. Her interest in South Africa is sparked by the spirit and passion of that country's independent winemakers.
