Umani Ronchi, Caselli di Jesi Verdicchio Riserva DOCG (Marche, Italy) 2016

 This is a complex, compelling wine that demands attention and admiration.  The reward for the admirer is the pleasurable experience of a kaleidoscope of aromas and flavors, including Meyer lemon, peach, and pear mingling with notes of toasted coconut, lemon zest, honey, and saline minerals.  Those flavors are plush and round in the mouth, lifted by acidity to encourage another sip.  The long finish brings a touch of bitter almonds.  I have heard that “some call Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi the white Barolo.”  Not sure who they are, but they have a point.  This wine from Umani Ronchi is complex, mouth filling with serious weight, yet it is also elegant, crisp and mouthwatering.  In fact, the producer’s notes state that “the name of the wine, from the Latin Plenum, is intended to suggest the characteristics of fullness, complexity and structure.”