2018 Rosso Pathos

I’ve been following the wines of Santa Barbara, located in the heart of Le Marche, and its owner-winemaker Stefano Antonucci for quite some time. Frankly, the wines and the style have always fascinated me. That said, they are polarizing to say the least. The goal here is to create a portfolio of primarily regional varieties, at the highest level of quality, that will appeal to international audiences. Having said that, I’m sure you can imagine that this means a healthy dose of French oak for the reds, and a good amount of ripeness and concentration on the whites. If you go back far enough, you’ll even find aging in oak barrels on the whites as well. However, with time and changing tastes in the market, Stefano Antonucci has adapted, especially when it comes to his portfolio of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. The first wine to really catch my attention was the “Back to Basics”, which, as its name implies, was designed to show Verdicchio in its purest and most natural form, also from a certified Organic vineyard. However, the other wines began to change as well, as we are now treated to the fresh stylings of Le Vaglie and the total opposite, the rich and opulent Tardivo Ma Non Tardo (“late but not late”), which may be the most improved wine in the entire range. I say this because I remember tasting the earliest vintages and thinking that they were simply too over the top. Well, today, Tardivo Ma Non Tardo balances all of the late-harvest fruit intensity with streamlined acidity and a core of minerals that leaves you reeling. The Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Stefano Antonucci still spends time in barrel on the lees and, not surprisingly, it’s the wine that didn’t resonate with me. On another note, the reds still see a good amount of new oak; but I can’t deny their prestige, and how Stefano Antonucci has captured such an amazing core of primary fruit to balance it all out. Give these wines time and watch closely, as I believe that integration of their wood influence will reveal something very special.