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Garofoli

Part of my Verdicchio tastings this year included a thrilling vertical lineup of the Garofoli Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium, a wine that is renowned not only for its pure expression of the variety, textural depth and elegance, but also its capacity to mature for over a decade. I tasted through eleven vintages, all sourced directly from the winery’s cellar with Gianluca Garofoli, who represents the fifth generation of the family. The tasting started with the 1999 vintage and finished with the yet-to-be-released 2018. Podium is a wine of primary intensity and structure that can age for over a decade.

The story of Garofoli predates the majority of the region's producers, having been deeply rooted in viniculture since the late 19th century. However, it was in the 1950s that the Garofoli family placed an emphasis on estate bottling of their Verdicchio. The following decades brought extensive growth acquiring parcels in Massignano di Ancona, within Rosso Cònero, Montecarotto, in the Verdicchio production zone and, finally, their second estate winery at Paterno di Ancona. By the 1980s, Garofoli had become synonymous with quality, value-oriented wines of the region. However, it was also at this time that the Garofoli family began to seek a more important expression of Verdicchio. By the middle of the decade, emphasis was placed on lowering yields, clonal selection and experimentation with barrel fermentation and aging. From a marketing perspective, a bold move was made, replacing their amphora-shaped bottle, which Verdicchio had become famous for, with a Bordeaux style.

However, Carlo Garofoli, the family winemaker to this day, had a vision of creating an expression of Verdicchio that could show the world the importance and staying power of the variety without any addition of wood influence. He conceived a wine based on the estate's best parcels, those located around Montecarotto, at elevations averaging 375 meters and planted in sand and clay soils. Garofoli eschewed wood; instead, he did ten separate microvinifications, all matured in a combination of concrete vats and stainless steel. From there, the lots were blended for the final wine. The Garofoli Podium was born in 1991. It wasn’t long before Podium began to achieve international recognition, turning the spotlight onto Garofoli and the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico region. Very little has changed since then, with two notable exceptions. The first being a major update and modernization to their label in 2011, which removed Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore (still listed on the back label). The second, and more important, was the decision in 2013 to begin picking earlier, which lends Podium a more agile and fresher style. That said, and proven by the vertical I recently tasted through, this is still a powerfully expressive and structured wine with the balance to mature for well over a decade.

As a side note, if you find a bottle of Podium with the designation of Riserva on the label, the only difference is that the bottle had been held back in the winery cellar and was released at a later date.

From Verdicchio – Italy’s Killer V (Sep 2020) by Eric Guido

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2018 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium

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2016 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium

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2017 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva Podium

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2019 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Serra del Conte

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Garofoli

2018 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium

2016 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium

2015 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium

2014 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium

2013 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium

2011 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium

2010 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium

2009 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva Podium

2008 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva Podium

2006 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium

1999 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Podium

2019 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Macrina

2017 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva Podium

2019 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Serra del Conte

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