2007 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico

Besides Villa Bucci, this is Marche's best winery and one of Italy's finest as well. Owner Patrizio Sartarelli only makes white wines, and only from verdicchio, so this winery is as dedicated to a single grape variety as you will find anywhere in the world. "We used to own a sangiovese vineyard in the beginning," Sartarelli told me, "but the wines were so heavy and devoid of elegance that I ripped it up." There isn't one bad wine made here. The single-vineyard Balciana, made from late-picked grapes that often carry a touch of noble rot, is a dead ringer for a great Alsatian wine and one of Italy's top five white wines, but it's only made in the best years. Sartarelli has also released their first-ever sweet wine from verdicchio this year. This rather delicate wine is only moderately sweet at 85 g/l residual sugar and 5 g/l total acidity. Also recommended: 2006 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Passito (87).