2007 Santa Barbara Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi (Marche, Italy)

Dear Rene, Today we introduce a new candidate for BOTY (Bargain of the Year) from Italy's rugged Marche coast, the 2007 Santa Barbara Verdicchio. Verdicchio has long been one of my favorite white wine grapes for value. Verdicchios are wonderfully complex and intensely flavorful but they're still largely unknown throughout most of the world and they still have price tags far lower than than other wines that offer such high quality. Many verdicchios are great values, but I have NEVER tasted a Verdicchio THIS good for THIS low a price . Get all you can of the 2007 Santa Barbara Verdicchio. It's one of the best whites I've had under $10 in years. But don't be confused by the name. This small, family-run winery in Italy is named for the small nearby Italian village of Barbara and has no connection to the city or county in California. Jim Cutts 2007 Santa Barbara Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi (Marche, Italy) 2007 Santa Barbara Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi (Marche, Italy) Reg. $10.99 per bottle Six bottle price: $8.99 per bottle Case price: $7.99 per bottle Save over 25%! Verdicchio (vehr DEEK yoh) may be the best unknown white wine in the world. Though these wines receive critical praise, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times in my seven plus years at Arrowine that I've been asked for these fabulous whites from the mountainous Marche region along the Adriatic, to the east of Tuscany and Umbria. Burton Anderson, the renowned Italian wine writer, calls verdicchio "one of Italy's most promising and most surprising white wines from a native variety", other critics have called verdicchio "Italy's most improving varietal" and "central Italy's most distinctive white grape". Verdicchio is terrific, but it is still an "insider's" grape. The grape makes fabulous wines, especially when its grown in the chalky clay hills of Castelli di Jesi, in the rugged mountains above Marche's port of Ancona on the Adriatic. The prices for verdicchios are, almost always, real bargains. You just don't get this much flavor, this much freshness, this long finish, and this elegance at such a low low price. One of my favorite Verdicchio producers is the small winery of Santa Barbara, run by Stefano Antonucci, pictured here. His wines are acclaimed by critics and have won top awards in Italy (including the prestigious "three glasses" award from Gambero Rosso). They have a trademark style of freshness and elegance, and yet they are still priced extremely affordably. The 2007 Santa Barbara Verdicchio is made from 100% verdicchio. (DOC rules allow the addition of up to 15% malvasia and trebbiano, but winemaker Stefano Antonucci only uses his prized grape, Verdicchio.) It is beautiful in the glass with a light pale straw color. The aromas are vivid and elegant and bring to mind peaches and green apple skins. The flavors are intense and rich, without being heavy or sweet, and are reminiscent of crisp peaches, fresh apples and pears, and just a touch of apple skin. The concentration of flavor, the length of the finish, the freshness and the elegance of the texture all suggest a considerably more expensive wine. The rich fresh flavors of this wine are perfect with any seafood or pasta, and equally enjoyable solo. Don't wait! To order, please call 703.525.0990. We need your Visa or MasterCard information including expiration date. Wine arrives tomorrow, Thursday, October 2nd. Thank you for reading. Jim Cutts