Castelli di Jesi

Castelli di Jesi is the larger and better-known of Verdicchio's two homes: a broad sweep of clay-and-limestone hills inland of Ancona, named for the fortified villages — the castelli — that once ringed the free commune of Jesi. The wine is dry, pale straw with green glints, saline and citrus-led, and closes on the bitter-almond note that is Verdicchio's signature. It has spent decades living down a novelty fish-shaped bottle; the Riserva, made a DOCG in 2010, is the proof that it ages.