ColleStefano Verdicchio di Matelica 2017
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Collestefano was started in 1998 when Fabio Marchionni took over the estate that had been in his family for years. After getting his degree in agriculture, where he did his thesis on Verdicchio di Matelica, he went to Germany to work for Weingut Zähringer where he learned to work and farm organically with minimal impact to the environment. He then worked briefly in wine bars and restaurants before taking over the family farm.
His Verdicchio has been consistent in quality, winning at least two glasses from Gambero Rosso since the 2001 vintage (winning three glasses twice). It is a great value for an organic wine, easily competing with any Verdicchio on the market, most of which are more expensive. The Matelica zone is further inland and at a higher elevation than the more common Verdicchio di Castelli di Jesi. Matelica wines tend to be brighter and more elegant whereas the Castelli di Jesi wines often have a little more fruit and heft. Collestefano is textbook for the Matelica style – bright and crisp with floral notes and a hint of pine.
One of central Italy’s classic white grapes, Verdicchio thrives in two distinct zones of the Marche. The best vineyards of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi adorn hillsides a mere 20 miles from the Adriatic Sea. The vineyards of the smaller, more inland Verdicchio di Matelica, are at higher elevation. Somm Secret—Recent genetic discoveries have proven that the Verdicchio grape is identical to Trebbiano di Soave, Trebbiano di Lugana and Trebbiano Veltenesi.
Stretching along Italy’s eastern coast with neighbors, Umbria to its west and Abruzzo to its south, Marche is a region with a varying climate from north to south. Its coastal plains roll into hills that become the Apennine Mountains, which run the length of the country. The Marche's best red wines come from the grapes, Montepulciano and Sangiovese; the local Verdicchio makes refreshing, crisp and light whites.