New Release:
2021 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Podium, Garofoli
£130 per 6 bottle case in bond
Verdicchio has never been more exciting than it is today.
Eric Guido, November 2022
Over the course of three vintages Garafoli’s Podium has become a go-to white for so many Atlas clients. The reasons are obvious to anyone who has tried the wine in any of its 2018, 2019 or 2020 iterations – all wines which have shown beautifully expressed, zesty fruit qualities and textured, energy-laden palates with freshness and length, wines which drink now but which also continue to benefit from some bottle age.
As Eric Guido writes on vinous.com: Marche produces one of Italy's greatest white wines in the form of Verdicchio. It’s a wine that thrills tasters in its youth yet also has the capacity to mature and gain further complexity and depth in the bottle. It can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best of Italy and, in some cases, the best from around the world.
While Verdicchio is well-known, too often ill-thought of, for easy-drinking, bland examples, when in the right hands and given suitable attention, it is capable of producing wines of depth and energy. That is very much the case here in the Garofoli’s flagship Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Podium.
Garofoli is easily one of the most prominent producers in the Marche, where they have carved out an enviable reputation for their Verdicchio. Today, the fifth generation is in charge of the estate and they have done much to elevate the quality. Their reputation was cemented in the 1980s as being at the forefront of quality-minded growers. They ditched the amphora-shaped bottle that is typical of the region and employed the practices mentioned above with the view of proving that Verdicchio was an age-worthy variety. Carlo Garofoli, the current winemaker, went a step further – he identified the best of the estate’s parcels of vines around Montecarotto – often older vines at good altitude. He decided to avoid oak for this particular wine, wanting to show that Verdicchio could stand on its own merits. The fruit from these parcels is vinified separately and, when deemed to be up to scratch, it is blended and matured in concrete vats as well as some stainless steel. The resulting name is Podium; a seriously high-class Verdicchio that would make you think twice before dismissing this variety on the basis of the ocean of low-grade, low interest examples in the market.
Without even considering the price, this is an exceptional white wine with its clean, fresh, vibrant style showing lemon, white peach and hints of apricot and almond that leads into a palate of silken texture with wonderful tension and pleasingly persistent grip. When the price is considered, this all becomes more astonishing. At a mere £130 per 6 bottle case in bond, this is a more interesting and pleasurable white than so many white wines at this price level.
If you do not know it already, you owe it to yourself to try Garofoli’s Podium. If you do already know it, I have no doubt you will want to take the new vintage too.
2021 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Podium, Garofoli
£130 per 6 bottle case in bond
93 points, Eric Guido, vinous.com, May 2024
The 2021 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Podium is delicate and coy, requiring coaxing to release its pretty bouquet of young peach, raw almonds and sweet smoke. This is elegant, with textures of pure silky and admirable weight, yet maintains marvelous energy throughout. Fresh acidity and saline minerals enliven its rich, ripe nectarine and pear core. The 2021 finishes long and staining, leaving a youthful tension as vanilla custard and candied citrus fade. While perfectly enjoyable today, this is a vintage for the cellar. It bears mentioning that the Podium is produced without any oak, only stainless steel and cement, so we are tasting pure fruit. Drink 2025-2034.
