Rare Wines. In the name of Pecorino and Verdicchio

Mar 1 2023, 12:30 | by Gambero Rosso
In this episode of Rare Wines we traverse the Marche region to get acquainted with two whites owning a particularly refined and original character, produced in very limited editions

In recent decades, Le Marche has transformed into a mainly white-loving region. If Verdicchio has always dominated the scene in the provinces of Ancona and Macerata, in this case in the Castelli di Jesi and Matelica, it is in the Piceno that there has been the most evident change with Montepulciano. Vintage after vintage it has left room for pecorino. And an actual Verdicchio and a Pecorino are the protagonists of this week's column.

They are the Riserva Selva di Sotto '19 by La Staffa; and the Falerio Pecorino Aspralama, same vintage, by Pantaleone. The hills of Staffolo, a "cru" usually considered warm among those in the Castelli di Jesi area, produce a wine of rare elegance: thanks also to a particular vineyard among those cultivated by Riccardo, placed in a higher position than those of the area and surrounded by forests.

Sort of the same situation in which Federica and Francesca Pantaloni find themselves with their rows from which they create Aspralama, breathing the cold streams born between the gorges of Ascensione, the mountain that dominates Ascoli Piceno from the north. Different grapes, different areas but the same search for balance between finesse and expression, a combination that is perceived now in these two labels, but will be even more evident in a few years.

Rare Wines: a Verdicchio and a Pecorino to discover

 

Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Cl. Selva di Sotto Ris. 2019

La Staffa
Marche
white
Score: 
96
/100
VINEYARD | A vineyard within the woods. The Verdicchio grapes for this Riserva come from a parcel called Selva di Sotto, it is the highest in Staffolo in the province of Ancona in the Marche region: 500 metres above sea level with a view of the entire Esino Valley. Planted in 1974 by the Pastori family, it is surrounded by woods and Mediterranean maquis and has its roots in a soil rich in clay and sandstone rock, with a steep slope. Immediately after pressing, the vinification takes place via hyper-oxidation, then rests for a year in cement and about 3 years in the bottle before being marketed. Produced only in the best vintages, it is a wine of great stability,...
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Falerio Pecorino Aspralama 2019

Pantaleone
Marche
white
Score: 
93
/100
VINEYARD | The portion of the vineyard planted with pecorino occupies about 5 hectares and is located at an altitude of 450 metres on clayey soil. The secret lies in the heart: the central part is the result of a mass selection of the clones that Nazzareno personally went to get in Tufo di Arquata del Tronto, a small hamlet located at the foot of Monte Vettore, in the Monti Sibillini park, where "the grape of the sheep" was the only one cultivated due to its resistant nature in a decidedly cold climate. The genetic material was recovered from the bases of old vines belonging to an elderly winemaker. He made a white that local customers confidentially called "aspralama" because...
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