2018 Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore DOC Italy 750 ml

Verdicchio from Marche’s prestigious Castelli di Jesi sub-region has been called the “White Barolo”: complex, profoundly aromatic, and age-worthy, it’s a true noble in the court of Italian viticulture.

Villa Bucci’s Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore is a revelation of dry Italian elegance that justifies the nickname. Aged in large old oak barrels, it has a lush, round creaminess that will drive Chardonnay drinkers to distraction.  A marriage of clean herbal freshness and seductive white flower aromatics, supported by wet stone minerality, makes it one-of-a-kind—a rare $20 white to which Decanter awarded an extraordinary 95 points.

All that, and an ageability that’s extraordinary for just $20, from a producer that Vinous says makes “some of Italy’s best and most ageworthy white wines.” Buy a case of this exquisitely vibrant Verdicchio, drink some now, then let the other bottles slumber for five years. They’ll evolve into one of the greatest value whites in your cellar, tinged with baked pear.

Ampelio Bucci, the owner and winemaker of Villa Bucci, has been called “the dean of Verdicchio” by Vinous. A former fashion consultant, he now “happens to make two of Italy’s best white wines.” A perfectionist focused on crafting wines of long-lived complexity, he draws on his family’s 300-year winemaking legacy, and a collection of pedigreed vineyards that are brilliantly expressed in this Classico Superiore.

Bucci believes that Verdicchio vines don’t really begin producing wines of distinction until they reach 20 years old. The vines used for this wine boast 37 years on average, with roots thrust deep into the clay-limestone soils of four low-yielding vineyards—one is Montefiore, whose vines reach 55 years of age. Farming is 100% organic, with no herbicides or pesticides used, allowing the mineral nuance of the terroir to shine through.

Off the vine, grapes burst with zesty freshness and herbs, hints of anise and almond. The wine responds brilliantly to oak and mellows with age, taking on a rich texture and lushness. Few producers execute this balance as perfectly as the consummate craftsman Bucci, and this Classico Superiore achieves a level of quality almost indistinguishable from the Riserva. It’s a gift at $20. 

Take advantage right now to claim this truly unique Italian white.