Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi: Marche Dedication

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi 2013 Classico Superiore Andrea Felici

Recently I received a lovely Christmas gift! What? Wine, of course.
A friend, stopping by my trusted wine shop, asked the owner for a recommendation – someone who knows my tastes very well – and bought me a few bottles.
Among the wines he chose, Il Cantico della Figura stands out: a Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Riserva DOCG. I've never tasted it, and I've never tried its "base" version either – today I'll fill the second of those gaps.
I should mention upfront that the wine shop didn't steer him wrong: I'm a fan of Verdicchio, a wine of great potential that, in my opinion, deserves a mention among the finest Italian whites.
I know the Marche well – I lived there for a while. It's a beautiful region, often underestimated, full of rolling green landscapes and tranquility. The organic farm Andrea Felici is based in Apiro, at the foot of Monte San Vicino at around 516 metres above sea level; here, reigning over the enchanting landscape, is Verdicchio! Pampered by significant day-to-night temperature swings, cradled by the winds, and favoured by a dry climate: excellent conditions for a great product.
The people of Marche are decisive and no-nonsense: just two wines, a single grape variety; only Verdicchio, nothing else.

The people of Marche are also known for wasting nothing and avoiding unnecessary stress: at Andrea Felici they don't resort to excessively forced yield reductions – they work with the vineyards and make up for it with great care during harvesting and vintage. A person from Marche would never throw away good grapes.
We mentioned the harvest, which is done by hand in small crates and is followed almost immediately by vinification. This Verdicchio comes from a blend of vines of various ages, combining the youth of "young" plants of around 6 years with that of the more mature ones now reaching thirty-five. The wine is left on the skins for three months and matured in cement and stainless steel vessels before the final two months in bottle prior to release.

Let's now turn to what, thanks to the territory of Marche, to nature, and to the sweat of those who worked on it, arrives in my tasting glass – ready to taste comfortably at home, easy, right? Let's always appreciate the effort of others and never forget how difficult it is to produce wine.
The colour is an intense golden yellow with a green tint. On the nose, the complexity of Verdicchio is immediately apparent: light fruits, peach, apple, pineapple, but also citrus such as bergamot; you can detect freshly cut grass, a spicy touch, and wildflowers. On the palate it has a decidedly full and substantial body, with good persistence as well.

A wine like this could be paired equally well with fish or meat, but also with a delicate risotto.
I recommend serving it at around 15-16 degrees.
Despite not being their Cru, it is not a simple wine and can comfortably improve with four or five years of ageing.
Excellent, finally, the quality-to-price ratio: 9-13 euros for a very fine wine.