Our Wines to Admire section lately has been punctuated by the potent, the complex and the downright esoteric. But today, let’s post about the purely delicious. And the widely available (for once).
As soon as I was introduced to the wines of Verdicchio many years ago, it was love. There is little that needs explanation here: it is a grape that yields exciting white wines with zippy acidity, pleasant aromas and varying degrees of body. They can be rich and age-worthy (especially from the DOCG appellations of Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva and Verdicchio di Matelica), or fresh, vibrant and dangerously delicious. The former may inspire some fawning and doting, but the latter is about serving a function: that is, to quench.
Which is where this wine from Garofoli resides. “Serra del Conte” is their entry-level Verdicchio, with 80,000 bottles produced annually (so there is a good chance you’ll find it). It boasts lovely suggestions of lemon, fresh apricot and almonds from nose to palate, with a texturally pure body that partners well with a wide variety of dishes and moods. What struck me most about the wine was its laser-like focus on the palate. Whether you call it minerality, petrichor or stoniness, this wine has it with abundance.
And in the end, that quality of generosity is worth prizing as much as potency, complexity and rarity in a wine. Tuesday night’s quickly thrown-together dinner needs refreshment, too. So does Wednesday’s. At $13 or so, this wine lends a lot of mileage for those kinds of nights.
2020 Garofoli “Serra del Conte” Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC
Marche
Grapes: Verdicchio (100%)
Alcohol: 12%
Opinion: ★★★★ 1/2 (out of five)
Food-friendliness: Versatile
Value: Exceptional
A beginner might like … decoding what this “minerality” is all about. Yes, this word has arisen in The Realm of Wine Speak to suspiciously high levels in recent years. Is it made up? The result of group think? Well, think of a rainstorm on a hot day, and the aroma that is released from the soil, the stones or, even, the pavement. Now take a sip of this wine and see if you detect that sensation on the finish. What causes this phenomenon is up for debate, but I love to encounter it, as it seems to suggest another sip.
A wine obsessive might like … taking the night off from obsessing over wine.
Note: This wine was provided as a sample by Garofoli’s importer. Learn more about our editorial policy.
