La Staffa

We are far from the first to say that Verdicchio is, along with only a few others, one of the great white grapes of Italy (and Europe). This is no small compliment: Verdicchio far exceeds a simple expectation of a light and food-friendly white, instead making wines that are racy but never lean, complex but always satisfying, and--as all great wines should be--capable of significant age. When tasting great Verdicchio I am often compelled to wonder: what else could one ask for in a wine? Sparkling or still, these are some of the most complete and delicious whites in all of the world. Though grown throughout Italy, the Marche region, especially the zone around Jesi on the Adriatic coast, is undoubtedly one of the most important regions for Verdicchio, in particular the western elevations of Jesi in and around the town of Staffolo.

It is here in Staffolo that Riccardo Baldi has taken Verdicchio's inherent quality to new heights. Though quite young, he has already been named winemaker of the year in the Marche. Riccardo has an incredible work ethic, transforming the historic work of the family estate with parcel-by-parcel vinifications, spontaneous fermentations in concrete, and certified organic farming. This work emerges out of a passion for his family’s farm in Staffolo and the land that it occupies: uniquely limestone-rich soils grown at high elevations (at least 400 meters), with the oldest vines of heritage clones yielding deep whites expressing both stony tension and Adriatic breeze. Beyond the very limited single-vineyard bottlings Rincrocca and Selva di Sotto, and don’t miss Riccardo’s Mai Sentito, a vivacious clean frizzante ancestrale with, you guessed it, Verdicchio, alongside a splash of Trebbiano.