Fattoria Coroncino - Marches, Italy

FATTORIA CORONCINO: Dazzling Verdicchio from Jesi

Our story here begins way back in the summer of 2004, with a question we asked Antonio Terni while visiting his stellar Marches winery, Fattoria Le Terrazze

E&R: "Antonio, who makes the best Verdicchio in Jesi?"

Antonio: "We have several very, very good ones, but I think Fattoria Coroncino is the very best."

PURSUING THE FINEST.

When our friend and top wine-making resident of the Marches, Antonio Terni, told us fifteen years ago about Fattoria Coroncino - we’d heard of them but had not tasted their wines. Later on the same day he mentioned this to us, we purchased a bottle of Coroncino wine near Ancona; it was amazing. We were on the phone the next day to Lucio Canestrari, owner/winemaker at Coroncino - and have been on the phone and in touch with Lucio by fax (back then!) and email every year ever since. Team E&R has visited his winery half a dozen times since being the first to bring his wines to Oregon!

THE VERDICCHIO GRAPE

Verdiccio tastes good. On the scales of “flavor” and “flavor to price,” verdicchio is in Gold Medal territory. Indeed, when fresh, in general it is hard to find a bad verdicchio for the money. Globally there are two world class terroirs for great verdicchio - both in the Marches: Verdicchio di Matelica and Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi. The former is higher altitude and more chalk-based soil impacted by an inland climate while the latter is hilly but lower altitude terroir more influenced by the sea.

From both regions, that overall wonderful quality is misleading. In our twenty-plus years passionately tasting the wines of Italy, yes verdicchio pleases the crowds more than most grapes, but only a small percentage of producer’s wines go past the simple equation of making a “nice, affordable” verdicchio. The few producers making thrilling wines of character and precision produce little and export less. Verdicchio Bianco - the same grape as Trebbiano di Soave, when grown well from the delineated slopes in the Marches zone of “Verdicchio Dei Castelli di Jesi, produce zesty, stony, lemony-noted vibrant whites of engaging acidity and fresh fruit. The earliest mention of the grape is from the 1500's, so they’ve been working on it for a while!

THE MARCHES: LUCIO CANESTRARI & HIS FATTORIA CORONCINO

The Marches (mar-kay) is an enchanting part of Italy enjoying a boundary of the Adriatic Sea to the East and the ridges of the Apennine Mountains along its western border. Geographically, as well as food-wise, it is neither “Italy North” or “Italy South” - its uniquness includes only a small influence from Romagna to the North and Abruzzo to the South. Undeniably its heart and soul is the bountiful and lush combination of the fruits of the sa and the riches of the mountains.

The Marches two towering contributions to Italy’s immense wine treasure are its Verdicchio Bianco (there is a red) and its superb Montepulciano red grape. Travelers to Italy - be sure to include a few days to explore the Marches, it will repay your efforts many times over and is why it is one of our favorite regions.

NOT VERY FAR FROM FATTTORIA LE TERRAZZE'S SMOOTH SEASIDE VALES AND SEA BREEZE-COOLED VINEYARDS (SEE NUMANA ON MAP, CENTER AREA ON COAST) ARE THE VINES OF LUCIO CANESTRARI'S LITTLE FARM CALLED CORONCINO. WHAT A DIFFERENCE A FEW MILES MAKES AS YOU LEAVE TERRAZZE'S REMARKABLE REDS IN THEIR CLAY SEA-SOIL AND RISE UPWARD IN ELEVATION TO THE FAMED AND STEEP-SLOPED VERDICCHIO ZONE OF CASTELLI DEI JESI. JUST OUTSIDE THE HAMLET OF STAFFOLO- POPULATION 2,304 (AT LAST COUNT), YOU WILL FIND LUCIO CANESTRARI'S FATTORIA CORONCINO.

"WE ARE PROUD TO SAY THAT WE ARE NOT PART OF ANY WINE- CENTRIC ASSOCIATION; WE DON’T BELIEVE IN ANY DOGMAS AND WE PRIDE OURSELVES IN OUR USE OF COMMON SENSE, IN HARMONY WITH NATURE. WE WANT TO PRODUCE HEALTHY, NATURAL, DIGESTIBLE WINES BOTH FOR OUR CUSTOMERS AND OURSELVES." -LUCIO

Lucio is down to earth. As he says with a grin and a shoulder shrug - “I do what I can. If I can’t, I can’t.” When it comes to his vines and wines, he can. Lucio grew up living above his father’s Trattoria where he learned about and tasted firsthand uncompromisingly made food from the best, freshest ingredients. He father was fanatical about quality in the best ways. After marrying the love of his life, Fiorella, this Rome-based pair took over an old “ruin” of a house and farm at Staffolo, gradually building it up along with its several acres of farmland. As Lucio told us “it sustained us spiritually, softening the many sacrifices we had to make every day.” His uncle taught him farming, while his internal passion for wine grew over the years as he and Fiorella planted more vines in hopes of having enough to devote themselves to winemaking as both fiscal and metaphysical nourishment. In 1981 they realized their goal and Fattoria Coroncino was born.

Their self-stated Roman stubbornness reflects their motto “N do arivo metro ‘n sego” - “I’ll do as much as I can” - has served them well. As the cheerfully matter-of-fact Lucio, ignoring convention and big winery goals, high points and scores for wines and big press reviews says '“we’ll stay here as long as we can, without wanting to become what we aren’t or destiny what we don’t have.” It is this attitude, along with Fattoria Coroncino’s small and always in demand production which accounts for us having to wait for nine years for him to agree to work with us. We share his ideals along with his having always said, until now, NO to us. We know he respects our modest, respectful perseverance and over time now the Coroncino wines have become staples of the shop - the supply never lasts very long.

AS LUCIO SAYS, "WE ARE PIONEERS OF QUALITY VERDICCHIO AND HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO REVERSING ITS FORMER REPUTATION AS A CHEAP PIZZA WINE."

(LB and E)