Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
The Buccis have owned land and made wine in Castelli di Jesi since the 1700s, originating in one of the “castles” themselves-Montecarotto. Their impressive heritage might have daunted a lesser man. However, Ampelio Bucci has succeeded in maintaining the best of tradition, old vines, estate-grown fruit, and the use of native varieties, while revolutionizing quite a few of Italy’s traditional winemaking tenets. Most notably, the old assumption that whites should be lighter, crisper, shorter-lived and reds should steer clear of mellowness, liveliness, and fish. Ampelio work along with enologist Giorgio Grai. Not content with the estate’s longtime standing as the benchmark of the appellation, in 2002 Ampelio and Giorgio have worked to have the winery officially certified as 100% organic farming. Vinification and élevage take place in the underground winery, which maintains a naturally cool temperatures and makes refrigeration unnecessary: yet another example of Bucci’s devotion to being eco-friendly.
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.
Disenchanted with Italian winemaking laws in the 1970s, a few rebellious Tuscan winemakers decided to get creative. Instead of following tradition, to bottle Sangiovese by itself, they started blending it with international varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah in differing proportions and with amazing success. However, some Tuscan Blends don’t even include Sangiovese. Somm Secret—The suffix –aia in Italian modifies a word in much the same way –y acts in English. For example, a place with many stones (sassi) becomes Sassicaia. While not all Super Tuscan producer names end in –aia, they all share a certain coy nomenclature.