Jun
Grape Varieties, Italy, Producers, Regions
Bucci the Best from Le Marche; Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi and Rosso Piceno
Tre Bicchieri Gambero Rosso
Villa Bucci Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi has been voted the best white wine in Italy for many times by Gambero Rosso. Gambero Rosso is Italy’s most important wine guide and has been rating this wine with Tre Bicchieri for decades. During an overview tasting, just before Covid knocked in, we put different vintages next to each other of the Bucci wines. In that vertical tasting, we went back to 2003.
The ageing capacity is not the most important claim of quality. But we noticed how well the older vintages were showing. It underlines that Verdicchio from Le Marche is a grape variety with great potential and is not only a quenching seashore wine. 2016 is our current vintage of Bucci Reserva and shows already exceptionally fine and delicious to drink. The Bucci wines are a very fascinating mix of acidity, softly developed fruit, a light Italian bitter with a sultry spiciness.
In addition to the entry-level model – which is already wonderfully generous, Bucci also makes a Verdicchio Riserva. It is produced from grapes from their oldest plots. Aged for 14 months in Slavonian oak. Golden yellow, with a fully ripe, mineral finish. Very concentrated, but completely balanced. Anyone who loves Bucci loves wine that is generous but also shows elegance. A very good alternative to the precious white Burgundies and a wine that leaves a great impression.
Bucci: an agricultural family history
The history of the Bucci family goes back centuries. As in the past, a variety of crops are still grown on the estate, grain, beets, olives, onions, corn. But the family has also been involved in the production of wine for generations. The estate’s wine has only been bottled under its own label since the early 1980s. That turned out to be a very wise decision because the quality was phenomenal and the star of Bucci rose within a short time!
For more focus, the estate chose to produce only four different wines, but all with a very high standard. The man who started all this is Ampelio Bucci. A charming and cheerful businessman and professor of language and communication sciences. But above all, he is a farmer and winemaker. You couldn’t tell he already reached the respectable age of 80 plus. Ampélio is bursting with vivacity, full of energy and enthusiasm.
Bucci makes two Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi (white) and two versions of the Rosso Piceno (red). As far as we are concerned, there is no ranking in the wines. All wines are of a very high standard, but the Riservas are more concentrated than the generic cuvées. Beautiful additions to any wine cellar indeed.
Rosso Piceno
The Rosso Piceno is the Le Marche counterpart of the Tuscan Chianti or the Montepulciano d’Abruzze. The vineyards of the Rosso Piceno slope at the foot of the Apennines near Ascoli Piceno. Rosso Piceno consists of the Montepulciano and Sangiovese grape varieties. This Sangiovese is a clone that also occurs in the more northerly Emilia-Romagna. A version of the Sangiovese that shows more fruit forwardness than its big brother from Tuscany.
Named after the village where the estate is located, the Pongelli is a 50/50 blend of this Sangiovese and Montepulciano. Claudia Porta, co-owner of Bucci and niece of Ampélio Bucci, refers to the relationship between Sangiovese and Montepulciano as Yin-Yang. Sangiovese is a feminine and refined counterpart to the Montepulciano, which gives strength and structure. The right balance creates a delicate, juicy style with very pleasant acidity, but also sufficient body. Slightly chilled like a northern French Pinot Noir or Cabernet Franc, the Pongelli comes out best.
The Villa Bucci Rosso is made from the same blend but has just a little more percentage of Montepulciano (70%). Hence the concentration in structure and body. The grapes are selected very strictly, only the ripest and healthy grapes are processed in this cuvée. In addition to the deliciously juicy Pongelli, this is a stunner that is made to stand the test of time.
All Bucci wines are available in our wine shop and online shop. For your convenience, we also provide a beautiful wooden gift box prepared with the Castelli di Jesi and the Pongelli put together.
Read more about Chabrol and Bucci in Sjakes’ article.
