Umani Ronchi Plenio Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva 2016
Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesAnother very intense and impressive white from this producer that shows dried citrus, lemon meringue and apricot pie. Full-bodied and very flavorful, but with bright acidity that provides a welcome contrast.
Fine and creamy, this elegant, medium-bodied white layers lightly juicy acidity with well-meshed flavors of baked pear and apricot, pastry cream, ground ginger and jasmine. Offers a lasting finish, with a rich hint of hazelnut. Drink now through 2025.
With its first vintage released in 1995, the Umani Ronchi 2016 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Riserva Plenio is a popular choice in the region and is a bottle I see in many restaurants and wine shops across Central Italy. Its popularity is easy to understand, given the fresh and transparent quality of the aromas: green apple, citrus, white peach and crushed stone appear. The wine is partially fermented in oak barrels, and the finished blend is given time to age on the fine lees. This would be a great summer wine to enjoy with a shrimp-and-avocado salad. Some of 16,000 bottles were produced.
The Umani Ronchi story is one of ancient vines, land, and people. It began more than half a century ago at Cuprmontana, in the ehart of Verdicchio Classico country, and has spread further. Today, Umani Ronchi is owned by the Bianchi-Bernetti family, who since 1959 have been making superb quality craft wines, coaxing the best out of the Verdicchio and Montepulciano grapes that find their finest expression in the Marche and Abruzzo regions. For over ten years, Umani Ronchi has been a member of the Istituto del Vino di Qualità - Grandi Marchi, which unites over nineteen of Italy’s greatest wine brands. Umani Ronchi continues to be family-run with Michele Bernetti at the helm, and his father, Massimo, acting as chair.
Stretching along Italy’s eastern coast with neighbors, Umbria to its west and Abruzzo to its south, Marche is a region with a varying climate from north to south. Its coastal plains roll into hills that become the Apennine Mountains, which run the length of the country. The Marche's best red wines come from the grapes, Montepulciano and Sangiovese; the local Verdicchio makes refreshing, crisp and light whites.
One of central Italy’s classic white grapes, Verdicchio thrives in two distinct zones of the Marche. The best vineyards of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi adorn hillsides a mere 20 miles from the Adriatic Sea. The vineyards of the smaller, more inland Verdicchio di Matelica, are at higher elevation. Somm Secret—Recent genetic discoveries have proven that the Verdicchio grape is identical to Trebbiano di Soave, Trebbiano di Lugana and Trebbiano Veltenesi.