Riserva di Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 2014

Decanter über: Riserva di Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi

-- Decanter: Ampelio Bucci (by strange coincidence his name comes from the same Greek root as ‘ampelography’) has defined himself as a collector of old vines. In the 20 or so years that he has been producing wine on the estate founded by his father, he has sought out and acquired abandoned plots in the calcareous hills of Castelli di Jesi in the Marche to put together a total of 31ha, 25ha of which are planted to Verdicchio. Each plot is harvested and vinified separately and in the case of the Villa Bucci, aged for at least a year in large traditional Slavonian oak barrels which themselves are 80 years old. The wines for the riserva are then assembled by Bucci and long-standing oenologist and master taster Giorgio Grai. The procedure is unique among Verdicchios and with few parallels in Italian white winemaking at large; and the result is wine with terroir as its raison d’être. Fresh and intense aromas of pear skins and bay leaf. Great concentrated presence on the palate, which is bone-dry, crisp and nervy with tangy lemon rind and a nuance of spearmint. Long and flinty on the finish. Signs off with a hint of white pepper. 95/100