About 12 years ago, I vividly remember tasting a non-Friulian, Italian white under $20 that was head turning. It was a Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. I was taken aback as non-Friulian Italian whites didn’t usually excite me. Yes, there were some exceptions, but for the rest, I largely clumped Italian whites together as “high acid and lightly bitter, lemony and nutty.”
Read MoreGarofoli 2012 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Podium: Though three years old, this Verdicchio has an impressively pale straw color. Mostly matured beyond primary fruits, smoky minerality, wet slate, damp wood and fresh mushrooms accent its light grapiness. The lingering finish and tight structure suggest this will keep improving through 2017.
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