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.
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The city of Loreto in Marche is the site of the Basilica della Santa Casa, one of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites during the Middle Ages and still among the most visited pilgrimage churches today. The basilica was built around a small house that is said to be the very structure in which the Virgin Mary was born and where Jesus was conceived and raised. According to tradition, the house was flown out of Nazareth in Palestine by angels before that city fell to Muslim forces during the Crusades, and it eventually wound up at the current location in Loreto. As such, untold thousands of the faithful have traveled from far and wide to see and pray at the Santa Casa (Holy House) over the centuries.
The pilgrims who came to Loreto were some of the world’s first mass tourists, and like the tourists of today, they needed places to stay and to eat. Inns and taverns sprang up around the pilgrimage sites to serve the needs of the visitors. In Loreto, along the main road entering the town from the north, one such inn was owned by Antonio Garofoli in the mid-19th century. In 1871, Garofoli began making wine to quench the pilgrims’ temporal thirst, beginning a long family tradition. Thirty years later, his son Gioacchino founded a full-scale winery operation. The winery expanded commercially after World War II as Casa Vinicola Gioacchino Garofoli with national and European distribution beginning in 1950.
The winery is now run by the fourth and fifth generations—brothers Carlo and Gianfranco Garofoli and their three children Gianluca, Caterina, and Beatrice. Garofoli today has four family-owned vineyards totaling 128 acres: at the family’s base in Castelfidardo outside Loreto, in the Castelli di Jesi growing area for Verdicchio in Montecarotto, in Paterno in the Rosso Cònero denomination, and the Piancarda vineyard within the Mount Cònero Regional Nature Park. The family also buys grapes from growers who have sold their entire output to Garofoli for many years. There are two production facilities, at Castelfidardo and Montecarotto.
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LOCATIONWINERY: Main winery in Castelfidardo (Ancona province), Marche; Verdicchio winery in Serra de’ Conti (Ancona province), Marche VINEYARD: Montecarotto (Jesi area), Paterno and Piancarda (Mount Cònero area), and Castelfidardo (near Loreto), all in Ancona province, Marche VIEW IN GOOGLE MAPS REGION DETAILS |
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90
MARCH 2023
Garofoli “Podium” Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore DOC 2020
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. 90
APRIL 2022
Garofoli “Kómaros” Montepulciano Rosato Marche IGT 2021
The 2021 Rosato Montepulciano Kómaros wafts up to show dusty rose, sweet melon and minty herbs. This impresses, with its soft textures contrasted by a reverberation of zesty acids and sour citrus tones; yet through it all, a vivid note of ripe yellow apple resides at its core. The 2021 Kómaros tapers off with tension, leaving behind mineral-tinged orchard fruits and a hint of blood orange. Garofoli knocked it out of the park with this Montepulciano Rosato. 91
OCTOBER 2021
Garofoli “Grosso Agontano” Cònero Riserva DOCG 2018
Dusty violets, roses, incense wild herbs and wet stone lift up to form a perfumed display as the 2018 Conero Riserva Grosso Agontano blossoms in the glass. The Agontano is silky and refined, contrasting ripe red berries and sweet spice with saline-mineral tones and brisk acidity. This leaves the palate with a coating of fine tannins, yet it remains energetic, savory and almost salty in character, with a hint of black licorice that lingers long. The 2018 Agontano will only require minimal cellaring to show well, and, although quite balanced and pretty, it should be enjoyed sooner rather than later. 92
SEPTEMBER 2020
Garofoli “Podium” Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore DOC 2016
The 2016 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium from Garofoli is just starting to show a bit of mellowing on the nose, opening to notes of ripe yellow apple, sweet florals, almond paste and stone dust. It soothes with silky textures, ushering in flavors of white peach, laced with salty minerals and a twang of green citrus. There’s so much density, giving way to a savory spiciness that lingers in the mouth along with hints of hazelnut. The 2016 has many years to go before reaching full maturity, but it can be enjoyed now on its potential alone. 91
MAY 2023
Garofoli “Kómaros” Montepulciano Rosato Marche IGT 2022
The 2022 Rosato Kómaros is airy and spicy, wafting up with a blend of crushed rocks, wild herbs and ginger-tinged berries. This is racy, sleek and full of zesty tension, with vibrant acidity guiding its mineral-tinged orchard fruits effortlessly across the palate. The 2022 cleans up beautifully through the finish, sizzling upon the senses with sour citrus. 93+
NOVEMBER 2022
Garofoli “Podium” Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore DOC 2020
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. 88
JUNE 2021
Garofoli “Kómaros” Montepulciano Rosato Marche IGT 2020
The 2020 Rosato Komaros is sweetly scented and floral, with a hint of undergrowth that grounds it firmly to the earth. Its textures are soft, offset by nervous acidity, sour citrus and minerals that create an expression of salty tension. This finishes crisp and clean. The Komaros is a no-frills Montepulciano Rosato that is sure to refresh through the summer months. 94
OCTOBER 2021
Garofoli “Podium” Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore DOC 2019
At each tilt of the glass, the 2019 Podium reveals something new. Initially showing gingery spice, white smoke and yellow flower notes, it evolves into sour melon, young mango and wet stone aromas. Finally, it turns flinty, with crushed apples and raw almonds. The silky textures are almost glycerol-like, even though it is seemingly weightless in feel. It hovers above the senses while being propelled by vibrant acidity and saturating mineral tones, as ripe orchard fruits and inner florals cascade across the palate. It leaves you with an achingly youthful impression, the combination of structure and lingering notes of bitter grapefruit rind and granny smith apples. 2019 Podium is a classic in the making; and while it can be enjoyed today, the best is yet to come. |