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DOCGStill huntingModerate

Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva DOCG

This is the top tier of Jesi Verdicchio: the riserva bottlings that spend at least 18 months in cellar before release, usually from single vineyards on the best clay and limestone slopes. Expect lemon peel, bitter almond, chamomile, fennel and wet stone, with a waxy, almost oily texture held up by sharp acidity and a bitter almond twist on the finish. The best ones age 10 to 20 years and take on honey and hazelnut without losing freshness. Alongside Matelica riserva this is the strongest argument that Verdicchio is one of Italy's great white grapes.

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Bottles I'm chasing

ProducerWinePriceBuy
Villa Bucci
Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva Classico
Imported by Empson; aged in large old Slavonian oak, a serious white with almond, beeswax and a long saline finish that rewards a decade in bottle.
$50 to $65Wine-Searcher
Garofoli
Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva Classico Podium
Widely distributed, stainless steel only, so you get the pure lemon, green almond and mineral side of riserva Verdicchio at a fair price.
$25 to $32Wine-Searcher
Umani Ronchi
Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva Classico Plenio
Easy to find through Wine.com and Total Wine; part barrel fermented, richer and rounder with ripe pear and toasted almond.
$28 to $35Wine-Searcher