2016 Tenuta di Tavignano Misco Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC Classico Superiore 750 ml

The 2016 Tenuta di Tavignano “Misco” Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore is on an impressive hot streak, having earned Tre Bicchieri from the widely respected Italian magazine Gambero Rosso for the second straight year. Verdicchio defines white wine in the Marche region, and the 2016 Tenuta di Tavignano “Misco” is a fine example of the ripe, generous style that distinguishes the wines of Castelli di Jesi, just 12 miles from the Adriatic Sea. At $18 per bottle, the wine stands as a benchmark for Verdicchio from Castelli di Jesi, and it is a perfect wine to stock by the case. 

Tenuta di Tavignano has 73 acres planted to vine, and the oldest parcels—just 7 acres, are what compose the “Misco” bottling. Very little of this overperforming wine has made it to the United States. 

The white wines of the Marche are all about Verdicchio. But there are geographic distinctions between the grape’s two prominent growing areas, which to my palate, produce slightly different styles: Verdicchio di Matelica (which I intentionally mispronounce as “Metallica”) is a cooler area at a higher altitude on limestone soil, and generally producing more focused wines with mineral overtones. The “Misco” from Castelli di Jesi is born at lower elevations on sandier soils closer to the Adriatic Sea, where the temperatures are a little warmer. 

This warmth facilitates a more fruit-forward, opulent style than the wines from “Metallica!” In a broad brushstroke, I would paint the picture of Castello di Jesi wines as a rounder fuller-bodied, with flavors of warm peach, fresh picked herbs, and even a kiss of bitter almond. Vibrant and aromatic, while being braced by Verdicchios’ naturally high acidity, the 2016 “Misco” is perfect with lighter salads, white fish, fresh cheeses, and crudo—the native raw fish dish of the Marche—livened with citrus zest.