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2022 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi
Colleleva


A common scenario plays out again and again in wine shops around the country. An affordable wine seemingly comes out of nowhere, wowing wine lovers with its deliciousness and value. Customers can’t get enough, and it soon sells out. But when the eagerly anticipated next vintage arrives, something is off. Maybe it’s just the variability of the vintage, or maybe the producer cut corners to make more wine. Whatever the reason, though, the magic is gone.
A more uncommon scenario is when, after a spectacular debut, the next vintage is just as good, as is the one after that, and the one after that. That’s the case with this unassuming Verdicchio from the Marche. The 2014 vintage arrived with a bang, and the wine has been a customer (and staff) favorite ever since. It’s sourced from vineyards planted on hillsides that face east into the cooling breezes of the Adriatic Sea, which offer protection from the summer heat. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel, and aging is brief to preserve freshness. The nose on the 2022 has hints of peach and pear. In the glass, soft fruit up front precedes a crisp, pleasantly grassy finish with a kiss of acidity. Remarkably refreshing and delicious, it produces a spark, an ineffable element that says, “Something special is happening here.” I’m not sure what the secret is, but I suspect it’s magic.
—Dustin Soiseth
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2022 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Verdicchio |
Appellation: | Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi |
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Le Marche |
Producer: | Colleleva |
Vineyard: | 30 year old vines, 25 ha |
Soil: | Sandy tuffo |
Aging: | Wine ages in stainless steel for 3 months |
Farming: | Sustainable |
Alcohol: | 12% |
More from this Producer or Region

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

2024 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Capovolto”
Italy | Le Marche
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.

Spumante Dosaggio Zero Col Fondo “Numerocinque”
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The wine’s salinity finds balance with a delightfully tart note of lemon rind.

2024 Lacrima di Morro d’Alba
Italy | Le Marche
Lucky for us, vignerons in the 1980s salvaged this gem of a variety; one sip feels like stepping into technicolor.

2021 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva “Passolento”
Italy | Le Marche
A luscious Verdicchio with layered textures that white Burgundy lovers chase after.

2024 Rosso Piceno
Italy | Le Marche
Its dark fruit is boldly mouth-filling, yet smooth and juicy, even crunchy when served fresh out of the cooler. One of the shop’s top pizza and BBQ bottles.
About The Producer
Colleleva
The vineyards of Colleleva (Colle “hill”, and si leva, “rises”) lie on the heights of the Marche: about halfway between the Apennine mountains and the coastline of the Adriatic Sea. The combination of eastern sun exposure and the cooling winds from the Adriatic provide an optimal microclimate for balancing ripeness with fresh acidity in the grapes. Verdicchio, also known as Trebbiano di Soave, has been cultivated in the Marche for many centuries. It is capable of making vibrantly fresh and crisp white wines that are a wonderful accompaniment to seafood. The Riserva bottlings can age gracefully. From Colleleva we have a wine in the former camp. During a tasting trip in the Marche, their stainless steel tank vinified Verdicchio was one of the stars among many, many wines tasted. The perfume is entrancing—at once fresh and rounded, and typical of the grape. There is absolutely no pretension.
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.
More from Le Marche or Italy
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2024 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi
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2021 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva “Passolento”
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2024 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Capovolto”
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2022 Colli Trevigiani Verdiso
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2024 Pignoletto Frizzante
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2024 Rosso Piceno
Colleleva Italy | Le Marche
2021 Vino Rosato “Passatella” 1 Liter
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2024 Lacrima di Morro d’Alba
Colleleva Italy | Le Marche
2024 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi
Colleleva Italy | Le Marche
2018 Chianti Classico Riserva “Fondatore”
Podere Campriano Italy | Tuscany
2021 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva “Passolento”
La Marca di San Michele Italy | Le Marche
2024 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Capovolto”
La Marca di San Michele Italy | Le Marche
Spumante Dosaggio Zero Col Fondo “Numerocinque”
La Marca di San Michele Italy | Le Marche
2022 Colli Trevigiani Verdiso
Gregoletto Italy | Veneto
2023 Prosecco Treviso Sui Lieviti
Gregoletto Italy | Veneto
2019 Vino Bianco “Modestu”
Giovanni Montisci Italy | Sardinia
Where the newsletter started

Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch