2020 La Staffa, Verdicchio, Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva, Selva di Sotto

Riccardo Baldi runs La Staffa in the hills around Castelli di Jesi, working organically across a handful of higher-elevation Verdicchio vineyards. His wines have become a reference point for the grape in the Marche, showing how serious Verdicchio can be when grown on the limestone and clay slopes of this part of the region.

Selva di Sotto is the estate’s Riserva bottling, drawn from older vines in a single parcel that sits higher on the hillside. The wine spends extended time on the lees before release, giving it more depth than the estate’s village bottling.

The 2020 vintage delivered ripe, healthy fruit across the Marche. Here the wine shows lemon peel, almond, and chamomile with the firm structure that allows top Verdicchio to age far longer than many expect.