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2021 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva “Passolento”
La Marca di San Michele
On my most recent visit to Le Marche, winemaker Alessandro Bonci shared a 2013 Verdicchio whose youthful vigor belied its age. Raised in large casks and bottled unfiltered, his Passolento bottling is built to last, and the wiry balance of this current release makes me think it will evolve just as beautifully as the 2013. Rife with notes of pine nut, toasted almond, and gunflint, this chiseled and full-flavored white from the Adriatic coast is a dazzling companion to fish, pastas, and other Italian appetizers whether you uncork it young or old.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2021 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Verdicchio |
Appellation: | Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi |
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Le Marche |
Producer: | La Marca di San Michele |
Vineyard: | Planted in 2001, 25 ha |
Soil: | Limestone, Clay |
Aging: | Ages in 10 hl Slavonian oak botti for 8 months |
Farming: | Organic (practicing) |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
More from this Producer or Region

2024 Rosso Piceno
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2024 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi
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A crisp, linear white with subtle aromas of flowers and herbs, this is an all-purpose bargain sipper made for aperitivo, salads, and seafood.

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It’s both inviting––it makes for a lovely apéritif––and angular, prime to accompany lemony pasta dishes, clams, or flavorful and rich vegetarian lasagnas.

About The Producer
La Marca di San Michele
About The Region
Le Marche
Le Marche’s reputation as a producer of fine wine is relatively recent, as the region is very much off the beaten path for tourists and tasters alike. And yet, early Etrsucan and Roman civilizations grew grapes here, a tradition that persists and continues to gain momentum in this undulating land where the Apennines descend to the Adriatic.
In between the warm coastline and the cool, rugged mountainous border with Umbria lies a landscape of calcareous rolling hills that provide ideal conditions for viticulture. The zingy, green-tinged, citrus- and pine-scented Verdicchio is king here, producing delightfully crisp whites that perfectly complement the fresh fish and seafood stews of the Adriatic, in addition to the pork-based dishes that are staples inland. Around the towns of Jesi and Matelica, the grape takes on an additional dimension and is even capable of significant aging under the right conditions.
While our involvement in the region is recent, the two producers we represent demonstrate that Le Marche is capable of producing whites of serious interest, which often come at great value.
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Kermit once said...

Kermit once said...
Great winemakers, great terroirs, there is never any hurry. And I no longer buy into this idea of “peak” maturity. Great winemakers, great terroirs, their wines offer different pleasures at different ages.
Inspiring Thirst, page 312