The color on the 2011 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium stands out before anything else, showing a brilliant golden straw laced with green hues. The bouquet follows suit, with an extroverted display of honeyed yellow flowers, tropical citrus, mango and cream. There’s the slight twang of heat toward the close with a hint of hazelnut that lingers long. While I’m craving a bit more energy here, it’s hard to deny the seductive nature of the warm 2011 vintage.

More savory than sweet and packed-full of crushed stone mineral tones and crisp green apple, the 2020 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Serra del Conte makes itself known. While pleasantly ripe in style and soothing on the palate, this impresses more with its core of bright acidity that keeps the expression incredibly fresh and lifted. Hints of raw almond and orchard fruits linger long, as the cheeks pucker through the mouthwatering finale. I love the contrast of tension and ripeness here that makes the 2020 very easy to like.

Aromas of spearmint, almond and a hint of fennel. Medium-full with impressive concentration, there is notable persistence, good acidity and excellent varietal character. Quite dry in the finish with green herbal notes. Enjoy over the next 5-7 years.

The 2020 Rosso Conero Piancarda, a varietal Montepulciano, lifts from the glass with a dusty mix of dried roses, red currants and hints of nectarine that form a truly inviting bouquet. This is silky and elegant, nearly creamy in feel, yet elevated and cool-toned, with mineral-laced wild berries and a salty flourish that adds a savory sensation toward the close. The 2020 leaves a coating of fine tannins, as inner florals arch across the palate, and a caking of minerality slowly fades away. The warm vintage has imparted an extra suave character here, yet the Piancarda’s structure and acidity are nicely balanced and should promote medium-term cellaring. Lose a few bottles in the cellar; you’ll thank me later.

The 2020 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium is youthfully inward and coy at first, with a dusty florality and hints of cardamom in the glass. Swirling unlocks nuances of sage and rosemary, ginger and hints of smoky cracked stones, yet its fruit, leaning toward apricot, is still quite shy. Today, this impresses more on the palate, deeply savory and mineral in style, with a herbal twang and sour melon which place it firmly into the green fruit spectrum, all brilliantly offset by a saturating salty sensation. The palate is left reeling with spicy tension; the 2020 finishes structured, leaving the cheeks puckered and the mouth watering thanks to a late-arriving bump of zesty acidity. This will take some time to show its best, but it will be time well spent.

Pale yellow color and aromas of grapefruit and Meyer lemon, floral notes.  It is round and juicy in the mouth with flavors of pears, lemons and citrus peel beautifully balanced with crisp acidity, and would be perfect with a roast turkey sandwich.  Serra del Conte is the name of the commune where the grapes are grown.  It is made from the Verdicchio grape, which Ian D’Agata argues is “Italy’s greatest native white grape” in his Native Wine Grapes of Italy.  While the Grofoli Winery was established in 1901, family members had been producing and selling wines since the 1870s.  Today the winery is in the hands of brothers Gianfranco and Carlo.    

The Montepulciano grape is considered one of Italy’s best grapes for Rosato wines.  Garofoli’s Rosato boasts an orangish pink color and peach, Meyer lemon aromas with a saline note.  In the mouth, the wine is lean and crisp with peach, citrus flavors that linger on the tongue.  Pair it with  grilled halibut or sushi.  Innkeeper Antonio Garofoli, started making wines in 1871 to serve Christian Pilgrims visiting the Basilica della Santa Casa in the town of Loreto in the Marche region of Italy.  In the early 1900s, his son, Gioacchino, created a winery and today, members of the fourth generation, brothers Carlo and Gianfranco Garofoli and their children run the winery.  They specialize in Trebbiano and Montepulciano grapes with a smaller amount of Sangiovese and Trebbiano Toscano.  The Piancarda vineyard is where they grow their best Montepulciano grapes, some destined for their Rosso Cònero DOC, and others specially grown for the Rosato.

The 2021 Rosso Piceno Farnio hardly requires swirling as a blast of seductively ripe blueberries, black raspberries and nuances of sweet sage lift from the glass. It rushes the palate with juicy, textural wild berry fruits that are nicely contrasted by a core of bright acidity. This leaves a staining of ripe dark berries and minerals throughout the mouthwatering finale. The Farnio is an amazing value in its price point. It’s a blend of 60% Montepulciano and 40% Sangiovese.