2006 Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi, Marchetti Marche Italy. 12% alcohol. $15.99 at Beekman. Imported by Small Vineyards Discovery, Seattle, Washington.
Pale greenish yellow color, clear hue, light aroma of fruit and floral notes, pretty fruit and floral flavors, firm acidity, clean refreshing finish, distinctive nutty flavor. Would go great with salads and cucumber sandwiches, the backbones of our current summer diet. An interesting white in that it tastes better served warmer than usual, much like a red. Fun to serve cold and warm up in the glass. 3*+.
No EGA. Served in plastic glasses. One of the joys of New Jersey is that retailers can conduct in store tastings now. The Mommy Health Director in Glen Rock ruled, however, that glass glasses are dangerous, and Joel is permitted to serve only in plastic. Gotta add a O to my travelling kit!
Notes:
Beekman: Verdicchio is a white grape varietal grown in the Marche region of Italy. The name is derived from the word “verde” (green) due to its slight green/yellow hue. The best Verdicchios are produced around the area of Castelli di Jesi and are noted for their high acidity and a characteristic nutty flavor. Verdicchio was popular in the 1970s when the Fazzi Battaglia brand sold well, but Soave ruled then, and both have since been greatly eclipsed by Pinot Grigio. Maurizio Marchetti makes only 900 cases of this unoaked wine. Since his cardiologist wife brings home the pancetta, Maurizio is free to indulge his two passions: painting (the label features a Boticelli) and making wine. Because he needn’t turn a profit, he can be very selective with his grape. In fact, the yield for this Verdicchio was only one bottle of wine from each vine. The quality shows in this beautiful, round textured, integrated, and impeccably balanced wine.
Small Winery Discovery: This is an interesting distributor who stickers its wines with either a "Grande Estate" or "Discovery" label; they specialize in small wineries from Italy with limited production. They have a very pretty and informative website. http://svimports.com/discovery.html
I enjoyed their description of this wine:
It could be said that Verdicchio is a thinking person's Pinot Grigio. Refreshing citrus fruits, playful acidity and complex minerality are the hallmakrs f this varietal, and when well-made, it is one ofthe best whites in the Mediterranean world. Incredibly this wine is all free run juice (no pressing!), and as a Classico, is the best example in its class we have ever tried. Maurizio Marchetti's family has been making Verdicchio for genertions, and it shows.
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I'm sure this wine would go well with crab cakes, a personal favorite but one which Janet avoids. She away tomorrow night so I'm dusting off a recipe Robin posted five years ago, and I'll test the reality then:
Recipe here.