2020 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Riserva Rincrocca

I often think of the La Staffa Verdicchios as Meursaults in a lineup of Chablis. The wines are all about tension, acidity and minerality, while many other producers rely on fat and fruit to impress. Owner and winemaker Riccardo Baldi tends 12 hectares of vines around the town of Staffolo, growing at 400 to 550 meters through all-organic, verging on biodynamic practices. These are primarily clay soils with a high percentage of calcium carbonate, which Baldi translates beautifully into the finished wines. The best part is that no matter how enjoyable these wines are upon release, they get even better with time. There are no slouches in this portfolio. This is also the first time I tasted the Rubinia, a varietal Montepulciano from a one-hectare parcel rich in limestone at 442 meters in elevation. Here, too, Baldi has managed to create a gorgeous interpretation of terroir. The Rubinia is a deep and complex red that only a winemaker specializing in white wine could make.