The Valle Camertina is a pocket of field, pasture, and vineyard tucked into the Apennine mountains. It is a pocket of agricultural paradise surrounded on four sides by rugged mountains. The Marchionni family settled here in the late 1970s to make wine and in 1998, Fabio Marchionni made his first vintage. 27 years later, he has mastered the art of making Matelica’s particular sort of Verdicchio. Higher in elevation and more influenced by mountains than the sea, Matelica strikes a different pose than the Verdicchios dei Castelli di Jesi. Wine here is generally zestier, with a strong sense of minerality. Collestefano’s 2024 edition shows crisp pear, lemon and tangerine fruit sprinkled with rosemary, sage, and white pepper. True to form, this wine is outrageously full bodied, singing with acidity, and leaves the palate painted with lemon and lime fruit and crusted with both pepper and salt. Verdicchio is one of the most versatile food wines in the world, this one will match with sashimi, chicken Tagine with artichokes, or pesto pastas with equal flair.