Description
Fabio just clued me in to a most exciting development: he is now making a new wine from a tiny plot in the nearby Macerata province, from a unique variety of Trebbiano called Ribona. 2020 is the first vintage to be bottled separately, even though the land has been cultivated organically since 1996. It enjoys a similar cool climate effect as the Matelica, with SE exposure, and is a tiny bit lower in elevation than the main home estate, with similar sandy/argilocalcaire (clay and limestone) soils. Whereas the Verdicchio is about 18 hectares, yielding almost 9k cases!, this tiny parcel is just .6 hectares, with 250 cases in total made. It’s analytics are quite similar, a smidgen less alcohol (12% vs 13% for the Verdicchio), similar levels of dry extract (mineral mass), and a gram less acidity (6.5 g/L, vs 7.5 g/L for the Verdicchio). I told him that Down to Earth folks are loyal fans of his knowing hand and wines, and that we would surely love to check it out, so I am just sending this email to those of you who already know and support the Collestefano wines…….
A few words about the wine, from Fabio himself:
“Starting from the 2020 vintage, Collestefano in bianco no longer means only Verdicchio di Matelica, but also Colli Maceratesi, therefore Ribona. Here the typical vine of the Macerata countryside feels the cool microclimate of the Collestefano terroir, resulting in a wine in which the varietal notes of meadow flowers intertwine with the irresistible citrus freshness that is the trademark of Collestefano. On the palate the usually “square” appearance of the Ribona turns into a white of pure Collestefano style, energetic and vertical. From grapes harvested on October 20, a wine that arises from immediately at the top of the typology. Already excellent, it will be at its best between 2023 and 2026.”
