A small central core of vegetal [almost rotten] bitterness, with a clinging electro-metallic grip extending out to the far hinterlands of the palate.
As a new arrival in our marketplace, circa 2019, it was obvious that the wine had tremendous potential, but it was dogged by an awkward disjointedness, with a sense of flavor squaring off against texture.
However, in 2022, that tete-a-tete has been resolved, and there’s a subtle, almost stoic elegance to the wine now, coming much closer to seamlessness [albeit a seamlessness of extreme intensity], and the synesthesia is relaxing away from the harsher grey/black/green colors of 2019 and into a much gentler light straw-colored yellow-brown in 2022.
I can’t imagine a dish which wouldn’t be improved by the presence of this wine at the dinner table.
This is the best still wine I’ve had in about 12 years [back circa 2010, we got some surplus 2004 Donnhoff Estate in our market, and that was a “perfect” wine at the time].
If you wanna give the wine a numerical score, then put on a blindfold, and throw a dart at all the numbers between 94 and 102.
PS: I’ve tried to find an etymological relationship between the town of Matelica, in Marche, and the English adjective, “Metallic”, but so far to no avail.
The Collestefano and the Pepiere Briords are the only dry white wines I tend to buy multiples of every year without waiting to taste or hear reports from others. I like more than any Verdicchio di Jesu that I’ve had. I was a little sorry to see Asimov list it in his “under $20 summer sippers” list, as means likely not to be there if I go to restock . But by next release that will be forgotten.
Been getting this for a few years. In my opinion, the wine needs about 2-3 years in the bottle to flesh out. However, I have heard that its changed a bit in 2020 and forward as its a bit more acidic and less fruit. We’ll see whether that trend continues in 2021. For my palate, this wine was already on the edge of being underfruited (for lack of a better term), but I generally like medium/heavy bodied whites.
Don’t forget Collestefano’s Rosa di Elena, great rosé.
Have bought these for many years for easy summer drinking, I like them a lot! 2020 is more acidic than past years the same amount of fruit I think. I don’t know if they have changed their style or it’s just a vintage thing. For me it’s not a problem I almost always like more acid.
I was looking at past years on CT and it seemed like the reviews get more favorable in the 4-10 years after vintage date range.
Of course, there are other variables (e.g. is it people who like the wine more already who hold it longer?) so who knows. But I did notice that looking around.
In my experience, 2018 was a monster vintage throughout Europe.
Actually, my experience pretty much ended with the 2018 table wines [tasted in 2019], because COVID hit after that [when the 2019 table wines were being shipped over from Europe, in 2020], which meant no more public tastings.
So I have no idea what subsequent vintages might taste like.
Yeah, I noticed that too, before I opened the bottle, but still I was shocked at how much the wine had improved in roughly three years, especially how much more elegant the wine is now [again, albeit an extremely intense elegance].
I’m starting to wonder whether the 2018 might make it to its 10th anniversary, circa Thanksgiving Day of 2028, or whether that’s asking too much of the Verdicchio cultivar?
I have no earthly idea what a Verdicchio cellaring curve might look like.
But this 2018 Collestefano Verdicchio has a palate presence like a Riesling [again again, albeit an extremely intense Riesling], which makes me wonder whether Verdicchio might go the distance for years & years & years?!?!?
Here’s a 2020 tasting note on the 2012 vintage on CT:
Tasted by rsbeck on 5/18/2020 & rated 92 points: Popped, poured, consumed over next 90 minutes. Wow, I was worried I may have waited too long, but instead this has really developed well since my last tasting 6 years ago when I gave it 89 points and called it a charming and refreshing summer sipper. Opened up a tiny bit spritzy and honeyed. It soon settled down and began to evolve and change throughout the meal, revealing different nuances with each turn, ultimately reminding me of a hypothetical cross between Sancerre and German Dry Riesling. Wish I’d have known a $14 screw cap Verdicchio could evolve like this, I’d have bought more. 92+. (844 views) - report issue | favorite author
And a 2020 tasting note on the 2013 vintage:
Tasted by marco_graz on 7/16/2022 & rated 92 points: This is simply a great wine for a ridiculous price. Light yellow color, at the nose I am not sure what I’m drinking, is it Verdicchio? or is it Chardonnay from Champagne? The palate makes you think what is this? This taste simply like a good Champagne, while it’s a still white wine from the Marche hills. Great! (22 views) - report issue | favorite author
Obviously there is nothing conclusive from a few TNs on CT, but it does persuade me a bit.
I have been drinking (and importing) Colle Stefano for more than 20 years. I love it out of the gate, at it’s zingiest, but I have drunk some bottles with 5 or more years of age and it does very well that way too. Note that Ian d’Agata goes bonkers for Verdicchio and definitely thinks it can age. It ages even better, and way more consistently, under screw cap; he agreed to start doing it for us in 2014 or so, he still uses cork in Italy.
I drink a lot of Colle Stefano, and the rosé and MC sparkler aren’t half bad either. Verdicchio di Matelica is generally more mineral than the wines from Castelli di Jesi, being mostly higher in altitude, but not in every case.
Fascinating. I never really though the Collestefano could age more than like 5 years. I may stock some of my '18s,'19s, and 20s away for a longer sleep. Thanks!
Thanks for all the info on these guys. According to CT I enjoyed the ‘19s but never purchased more. I can get the ‘21s for £12, so I’ll have to snag a case and ease into them over the next few years!
I brought in 3Ls of the 2012, which were wonderfully fresh a decade later, and proved to be a joyous, convivial delight during a Philadelphia block party.
It is wonderful to have wines that offer such pleasure, refreshment, and complexity without any preciousness/over intellectualization…
I’m looking forward to cracking some of the '21s, arrived today…
