2019 Andrea Felici Verdicchio Dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Marche 750 ml

In the same breath, Italy’s most important wine publication, Gambero Rosso, named Leopardo Felici 2020 Winemaker of the Year, and called his Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi “among the best expressions of the Marche.” Along with today’s $17.99 price, that’s really all you need to know. 

Mineral-driven and laser-like, cast in the mold of Burgundy’s greatest whites, the 2019 Andrea Felici Verdicchio is one of the best values in Italy. Sea-sprayed lemon peel, sliced green apple, delicate white flower, and wet stone are incredibly focused and pure both on the nose and the palate, offering a perfect match for everything from simply sautéed seafood to fettucini Alfredo. Sauvignon Blanc drinkers will love the vibrant citrus on display, fans of Grüner Veltliner will adore the minerality and precision, and everyone will love the sub-$20 price tag.  

Year after year, this tops the annual best-of articles from critics and journalists around the world. Forbes included Felici’s wines in their list of the best whites in Italy, and Corriere della Sera, one of Italy’s top newspapers, listed Felici in their top 50 wineries of Italy, alongside such icons as Sassicaia, Quintarelli, and Cavallotto. Gambero Rosso has long been a fan, awarding Leopardo’s wines Tre Bicchieri many times over.

Success of this magnitude has been a long time coming for Leopardo Felici. His family has been tending their hilltop land for generations, and before his father Andrea handed over the keys, he wanted to make sure that his son understood the entire world of wine, not just Italy’s Marche region.

Years of work as a sommelier in London and Italy—ultimately at Enoteca Pinchiorri, the most famous of all of Italy’s Michelin three-star restaurants—led to a love affair with Chablis and white Burgundy. The influence of those minerally, terroir-driven wines inspired this Verdicchio. 

Leo himself has summed up his winemaking as working with “love and infinite attention to detail,” but a lot more than that goes into it. Vines aged up to 40 years are chosen from around the Felici estate which, at close to 2,000 feet in elevation, is higher than any other in the appellation. As a result, the dramatic shift between warm sunny days and crisp nights allows the wine to boast stunningly expressive fruit alongside the kind of structure that most white wines never achieve.

After harvest, the juice is soaked for several days on the skins in order to impart it with even more character, then fermented in stainless steel and concrete—Leo doesn’t want oak to obscure what makes his land so unique. The wine is then aged on its lees for up to a year, which lends the wine a sense of creaminess alongside its vibrant energy.

The result is a wine that critics adore and sommeliers fight over. After a sellout last year—the first time we offered this to Wine Access members—this stunning Verdicchio is poised for a repeat. At $17.99  it’s an easy choice—you just have to be quick.