2016 La Staffa ‘Mai Sentito’ Pet’Nat

Region: Marche < Italy
Grapes: Verdicchio
Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Certified organic, some biodynamic practices, limestone and clay soil, 400 foot elevation, single fermentation.
Winemaker: Ricardo Baldi

You might remember the La Staffa Verdicchio we featured last summer – here’s a brand new wine, a lightly sparkling Verdicchio, from the young winemaker who has been called the “Golden Boy of Verdicchio” by SlowFood. Ricardo started La Staffa in 2009 with just two hectares of vines and literally built the estate from scratch. Now he is up to 10 hectares and a ripe 27 years of age, making wines that are honest, clean and delicious. We’ve brought you many pet’nats over the past two years, a style that natural winemakers love because the single fermentation (not double, like Champagne) means that nothing is added (like yeast and sugar) to produce the bubbles in the bottle. It’s a difficult process to master, and the fact that Ricardo has not only attempted this in Italy, where there are few good examples to follow, but done so successfully (and deliciously!) is a testament to his prowess in the cellar. And seriously, its soooo good! Golden, with long, persistent bubbles and rustic pear, lemon and almond notes. ‘Mai Sentito’ means ‘never heard’, because apparently nobody else in the Marche was making Verdicchio pet’nat.