La Staffa Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva Selva Di Sotto

Store tasting with La Staffa's Riccardo Baldi. This is their deluxe bottling. It comes from a steep vineyard in Staffolo at 500 masl, surrounded by forest, planted in 1974 (I think I found it on google maps! 43.416702942251774, 13.150533444322145). Only the 3rd vintage they've bottled this. Fermented in concrete and also aged in concrete for 1 year on the lees, before 2 more years in bottle. Very pale in color despite the age. Long, more soft and creamy on the …

Vibrant yellow-gold color. Minerally, earthy nose. Vibrant on the palate. Earth, minerals, lemon, apples, a smoky note. Deep and complex. Crisp acidity, excellent balance. Finishes long, long, crisp, minerally with tart apples and lemon/lime. Drink next 5 years.

Pale gold color. Flinty nose with a bit of funk that blows off quickly. Crisp and very precise on the palate. Gobs of minerals, lemon, green apples, barest hint of honey. Vibrant acidity, great balance. Finishes very long with minerals and lemon/lime notes. This could use 2 to 3 years more to develop. Brilliant wine but not for everyone. Drink next 6 years (perhaps longer).

dense yellow, with green reflex. Mineral nose, cheese, some chrysanthemum nose. A little bit of green banana. Then a sweet nose. Weighty on the palate, nice acidity. Minerality. Some hydrocarbons or better tufaceous smell. A slight aftertaste of chestnut honey, reminiscent of that aura of sweetness in the nose. Overall a powerful Verdicchio, definitely interesting. With one slight issue: alcohol. At 13.5% it warms the palate quite a bit, above all if not kept very cool. Organically grown. Fermented also …

Swig Italian portfolio tasting (67 Pall Mall, London) : This is great. Vineyards at 500m (not 120-150 like the others). Much richer, deeper than the others. Would seek out.

Yellow-gold color. Smoky, flinty nose, changing to apricots and lemons. Rich and viscous on the palate, lemons, minerals, touch of iodine, bit of apricot. Beautiful, etched acidity. Great balance. Finishes long with lemon confit, minerals, cleansing acidity. Gorgeous wine and still young. You can drink it now but decant. Better, wait 2 or 3 years and drink for 6 to 7 years beyond that.

Sacrificed the first bottle of a 6-pack to get a baseline. Yellow-gold color with a faint greenish tint. Honey, green apples, flint, melons on the complex nose. Rich and crisp on the palate, minerals, limes, green apples, spice. Gorgeous acidity and balance. Finishes long, long, crisp, with spice and lemons. Gorgeous wine now but needs 3 to 4 years more to peak. Drink for the next 10 years.