Wonderfully individual – a high class Vermentino
Simon Larkin MW
2021 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Podium, Garofoli - £130 per 6 in bond
If you are in need of topping up your drinking wine stocks at home, here are three impressive white Italian wines, all from different varieties that continue to impress at Atlas - one of which, the Vermentino, was selected to be served at our buying manager’s wedding!
1. Verdicchio
Without even considering the price, this is an exceptional white wine from the Marche, 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.
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: Now until 2034.
2. Roero Arneis
Arneis is a variety that is not particularly high in acidity…it is fresh, but tends to be in a softer, more rounded style. Some styles can lack expression, others are a little honeyed and lack a certain energy. However, if yields are restrained and if it is grown on the lighter, sand-over-limestone soils of Roero on the northern bank of the Tanaro opposite Alba in Piemonte, it can really deliver. This example from Vietti offers plenty of interest, surprising quality, and very good value for money.
2022 Roero Arneis, Vietti
£105 per 6 bottle case in bond
Note from Simon Larkin MW
The 2022 Arneis from Vietti shows really well, it reveals more of a citrussy accent to its juicy peach/nectarine fruit, with almost orangey notes coming through. There is that slightly nutty, peach kernel character that seems common to the variety. Vietti’s winemaking skill once more delivers a wine with fine purity and a freshness that is seldom found with Arneis. So well crafted, this is a highly individual white from a lesser-known variety, with just the merest hint of viscosity. This is hard to fault – if you enjoy a fresher accent in your whites drink sooner, but if you want to see the rounder fruit character come to the fore, six to twelve months in bottle will lead to those softer stone fruit notes dominating. Drink now until 2025.
3. Vermentino
It is unusual to find Vermentino in Sicily, but this is a real stand-out. Vermentino offers a fleshy fruit with white peach, both pear and apple, some zesty green lime or grapefruit pith and citrus oils as well as a touch of bitterness. The best examples capture a mineral, stony character and finish with a mouthwatering, saline, marine note just as this exceptional example from Oddo Vini.
2022 Vermentino, Guerra e Pace, Oddovini
£150 per 6 bottle case in bond
Note from Simon Larkin MW
Pale, green-gold in the glass, the aromas show fine purity with notes of ripe orchard fruit, pear and juicy apple, with a faint hint of lees and a touch of lemon verbena. On the palate, it has a silky texture, a touch of roundness, with notes of citrus oil, a little grapefruit too and a long, reverberating, saline finish, that makes you consider its coastal origins. It is drinking superbly at its current age, but given the form of this wine, it will take two to three years for the magic to start, where it picks up a more Riesling-like character and complexity. The choice is yours as to when to drink, but I would encourage you to try it when young and revisit as it ages (see note on 2020 too). Wonderfully individual – a high class Vermentino. Drink: now until 2027+.
Please click to buy or let us know of your interest. All the above are in stock and available for immediate delivery.
