Two Wines from La Marca di San Michele
4/24/24 -
Though I would consider myself a relative novice of Italian white wines, I've heard that Verdicchio can produce some of the finest white wines of Italy, and can attest to trying some impressive examples over the years. Of the ones I've tried, the wines of La Marca di San Michele have always been standouts. A couple of years ago, we sent out an offer for the 'Capovolto,' their stainless steel fermented white, which sees 7-8 months lees aging in steel before being released. Thanks to a local customer who is a big fan of the wines of La Marca di San Michele and recently inquired about a wine called 'Passolento,' we discovered that the folks at Kermit Lynch Wines have a tiny amount left of this exceptional Verdicchio Riserva from the 2016 vintage. 'Passolento' is their top white, fermented and aged in large Slavonian botti, with a year on the lees in barrel and a year of bottle aging before release. It's tasting beatifully now, perhaps at a peak moment. When the winemakers were in the US recently, they actually asked if they could buy back the stock of the 2016 because of how good it was!
Today we offer these two wines, and take a moment to honor the late Daniela Quaresima, one third of the Marca San Michele team, and a larger-than-life, passionate and loving soul, who sadly passed away just months ago. Her memory will live on through music, art, and of course, her remarkable wines.
-Eben Lillie
A bit of info about the estate, from our own Jamie Wolff:
La Marca was started in 2007 by Daniela Quaresima, Beatrice Bonci, and her brother Alessandro. Artists and musicians with some winemaking experience, they thought that producing their own wine would provide a bridge between art and wine, but as Alessandro says, with a laugh, “we quickly found that we were stuck in the vines, that the wine demanded total dedication, and that there was always too much to do and very little time for anything else.”
Their town, Cupramontana, is at the heart of the best terroir for Verdicchio and has always been an important place for wine long before Verdicchio had commecial success, and it’s own DOC. Alessandro: “Our research in wine is aimed at finesse; we want to make an elegant wine. We don’t like heavy wines, difficult to drink, too alcoholic. Now it’s common to find Verdicchio over 14 degrees, and people become accustomed to Verdicchio being similar to a red wine; we’re alone in harvesting a bit early before the other producers to lower alcohol and achieve greater finesse.” La Marca has been farming organically since the beginning, integrating biodynamic practices as well. Winemaking is “classic vinification” – whole bunch, indigenous yeasts, overnight maceration on the skins, and aging on the fine lees. The result is a delicious and eminently versatile white wine.
-------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
Marca di San Michele 2016 'PassoLento' - This is the top white from La Marca di San Michele. Unlike the Capovolta, which is fermented and aged in stainless steel, the Passolento is fermented in large oak barrels, and aged on the less for 1 year in barrel, then aged an additional year in bottle before release. This barrel fermentation and longer lees aging give a level of complexity and textural depth that compliments the typical almond, white flower, and green herb notes. There is a Chablis-like length and subtle viscosity in the mid-palate, with a hint of lemon, and impressive mineral structure in the finish. This wine is drinking beautifully now, and continues to evolve over several days in the bottle. Tasting on day three, there was still plenty of energy and harmony between the acidity, fruit and texture of the wine. Possibly the finest recommendation for the wine is the fact that the winemakers asked if they could buy back the inventory of the 2016 Riserva from Kermit Lynch Imports because of how good it was tasting when they recently visited the US! $31.99 (SOLD OUT, SORRY!)
