2018 Bisci Verdicchio di Matelica DOC Marche Italy

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate called Giuseppe Bisci’s Verdicchio “one of the finest I’ve ever tasted,” before adding “Verdicchio is one of the joys of Italian oenology that rarely gets the respect it deserves, and few producers do it better than Bisci.” Thomas Keller’s French Laundry sees it just as Parker does, continuously offering Bisci Verdicchios, and we concur.

Sometimes the best things on the wine trail come in small packages. Such is the case with the tiny appellation of Verdicchio di Matelica in Italy’s Marche region. We tasted our first bottle of Giuseppe Bisci’s dazzling white in 2011. The aromas were of white flowers, green apple, and quince. Deceptively weighty, crisp, and complex, this was one of the most mouthwatering Italian whites we’d tasted in a long time—at any price. Not surprisingly, we later learned, Parker’s Wine Advocate shared our opinion of both the region and its greatest producer.

Later that year (and every year since) we’ve knocked on the door at Bisci but have usually been politely turned away—in nine years this is only our third allocation from the Marche’s most storied producer. Today, we’re overjoyed to have a small allocation of Robert Parker’s “go-to Italian white” to share, which won a coveted Tre Bicchieri honor in 2019. 

Given the wine’s 5-star ratings and raves across our platform, we recommend stocking up as fast as you can so your reviews can sound like this: “Just the perfect combo of mineral, fruit, body. I thought it was excellent especially at the price,” and “This has been consistently wonderful since we started through the case. Actually bought six, then six again when we got the chance.

We could fill this entire offer with customer raves, but would be remiss if we didn’t also share the secret behind Bisci’s addictive, refreshing Verdicchio:

In the 1980s, Verdicchio was little more than an afterthought for Italian wine enthusiasts. Because few producers had the means to make the investment in temperature-controlled cellars, the wines were often prematurely oxidized on release, showing no sign of the crisp mineral cut that makes the variety sing. But beginning in the early 1990s, things began to change. Cellars were modernized as growers raised the bar in the vines. Soon, a few families began turning out whites of great tension and surprising complexity.

In the hands of Giuseppe Bisci and his brilliant agronomist-enologist Aroldo Bellelli, Verdicchio di Matelica would soon reach new heights, eventually wowing the Wine Advocate and the sommeliers at Marea, Del Posto, Otto, and The French Laundry.

If you want to fully understand why Bisci has set this appellation on fire, do as we’ll be doing when the weather warms up: Purchase (or order delivery) of several Maine Lobsters, and crack open a cool bottle of the 2018 Bisci Verdicchio di Matelica. Life doesn’t get much better.

$85 (at least) at The French Laundry, the most compelling white wine bargain on the list. $20.00 today on Wine Access. You make the call.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Sweetness
• Acidity

• ABV 13.00%
• Enjoy right away
• Drink Up
• % Verdicchio
• Serving temperature – 42°
• Cork