2023 Santa Barbara Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC Classico Le Vaglie, Marche

Santa Barbara Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC Classico Le Vaglie is a beautifully expressive white from Italy’s Marche region, known for crafting some of the most compelling and characterful Verdicchios in the country. The Le Vaglie cuvée, created by winemaker Stefano Antonucci in the early 1990s, was originally intended to challenge perceptions of Verdicchio as a simple, everyday wine. Today, it stands as a benchmark for the style: textured, fragrant, and undeniably classy.

The grapes are grown in the hills around Jesi, where clay and limestone soils and Adriatic breezes shape a wine that is both structured and refreshingly saline. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel to preserve freshness, with a portion sometimes matured in oak to build subtle complexity, depending on the vintage.

In the glass, it opens with notes of peach, green apple, lemon zest, almond blossom and a subtle herbal edge. The palate is crisp and medium-bodied, with juicy stone fruit, a touch of almond and that signature Verdicchio minerality carrying through a long, dry finish. It’s both refreshing and serious.

Ideal with grilled prawns, seafood risotto, fennel salad or young pecorino cheese. Le Vaglie also has the structure to age for a few years, developing more honeyed and nutty depth with time.