Bisci Verdicchio di Matelica 2019

If you ever have ever tuned into Thomas Keller’s wine list at the three michelin starred, French Laundry in Yountville, you will undoubtedly see a lot of familiar names on the list. Our friend’s at Diebolt-Vallois have the by-the-glass Champagne pour for $31. Our friends at Hourglass are the by-the-glass Sauvignon Blanc, Steve Kistler’s Pinot Noir and Peay’s Viognier. If you ever look at the bottle list and Marche, whenever you look, you will see Bisci Verdicchio di Matelica for $85/btl because it’s just that good. People repeatedly fork over large sums of cash to savor in Giuseppe Bisci’s Verdicchio while it accompanies “Oysters and Pearls” and Royal Caviar from the menu.

If you’ve never heard of Bisci, let’s start here. Robert Parker Jr. himself called Giuseppe Bisci’s Verdicchio “one of the finest I’ve ever tasted,” and noted that “Verdicchio is one of the joys of Italian oenology that rarely gets the respect it deserves, and few producers do it better than Bisci.” That’s the highest form of praise (along with Thomas Keller writing you checks each year) but it’s hardly surprising given the winery’s history of excellence and consistency. 

Tucked away in the Apennine Mountains, the white wines from Marche benefit from long summer days of continuous sun and frigid mountain evenings. These drastic temperature swings are the secret sauce that leads to expressive white wines that bristle with energy. Bisci is perhaps the most well-known winery in the region, the result of Giuseppe Bisci’s decades of churning out outstanding and unique variations of Verdicchio. This year they will once again celebrate a first as the 2019 vintage marks the winery’s first with an organic certification. 

It’s easy to see why restaurants absolutely love this wine. It’s geeky and interesting; you would never know what the wine is supposed to cost. Kept in cement vats for 8 months, the wine comes out of the bottle extremely expressive with aromas of citrus fruit and jasmine, and delicious flavors of apple, Asian pear, lemon with a dash of sea salt. 

In these uncertain times, a wine that’s usually nearly entirely allocated to the French Laundry and Eleven Madison Park is available for the taking. But here’s the best part– without its usual distribution, these bottles are available for a one-time price that I couldn’t believe. $85 a bottle to pair with a Market Price seafood appetizer at TFL, or under $20/btl when you buy it here today.