Although the Maria Pia Castelli winery was founded only in 1999, in this short period of time it has already managed to become one of the reference producers of the Marche region. Founded by Erasmo Castelli, father of Maria Pia, the company boasts an extension of about eight hectares located at 200 meters above sea level on the southeast ridge of the hill of Monte Urano, in the province of Fermo. In the management of the company, in little more than twenty years, three generations have succeeded each other: in fact, Erasmo was succeeded by his daughter Maria Pia with her husband Enrico Bartoletti who, in turn, passed the torch to their son Alessandro.
The philosophy of the latter, like that of his parents, is firmly natural, implemented by an executive cleanliness that Alessandro searches almost obsessively, drawing inspiration from his reference model: Burgundy. It is not a question of uncritically copying the techniques of the great vignerons of Côte-d’Or, but rather of starting from them, trying to adapt their experience to the specificities of the Marche terroir and its traditional grapes (Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Pecorino, Passerina and Trebbiano). All this results, first of all, in the refusal of chemical treatments, in the exclusive use of organic fertilizers and in the planting of vineyards that, growing on soils rich in iron and magnesium, guarantee a natural balance of the vines. In addition, in the vineyards, the total respect for biodiversity is pursued, allowing these to be populated by wildlife and a wide variety of insects, indicators of their excellent state of health. The rest is made by very low yields (25/30 quintals per hectare) which allow to bring in the cellar very few excellent quality grapes vinificated with spontaneous fermentations, without temperature control, long macerations, and equally long aging.
All this is clearly perceived also in the most “humble” wine of the winery, Sant’Isidoro, a rose obtained from the bleeding of Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes, destined to the most prestigious references, which ferment separately and are then are blended in steel tanks, for about a month, without clarification or filtration. After bottling, the wine is aged for 6 to 12 months in glass, then is ready for marketing.
The 2018 vintage shows a color between cerasuolo and light ruby, very intense, with an olfactory range that opens on notes of wild strawberry, crispy cherry, Mediterranean scrub and rosemary, followed by pomegranate, helichrysum, iodine and green branch of chinchona. The taste strikes for a material quality quite unusual for a rose, with the softness enriched by an idea of sweetness (only an idea) that alternates with the sapidity and the iodine-bitterness vein, with the return of red fruit and green cinchona that accompany the sip until a good length closure.
Rating: 88/100
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