Borgo Paglianetto

Over the gently rolling hills around the town of Matellica, Borgo Paglianetto crafts terroir driven wines reflecting the dramatic yet serene land they live and work in. Working organically since conception in 2008, the goal of the winery is to highlight the individuality of their specific vineyards, while producing easily enjoyable wines of brightness and clarity. Vinification is universally simple and unfussy, allowing the range of soils, exposures and microclimates to permeate the character of the wine.

Verdicchio is king here, and Verdicchio di Matellica is in a class by itself. Miniscule in scale compared to its higher yielding sister appellation, Vedicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC, Verdicchios from this area have a unique and powerful character – a result of vastly differing geographies, soils and climates between the two areas. Castelli di Jesi sits on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, benefitting from a controlled Mediterranean climate and sandy soils. The resulting wines are fruit driven while maintaining an easy-going style that became hugely popular in the 1970s. Matelica, by contrast, is further inland, bordering Umbria and resting firmly in the Apennine Mountain Range. It’s calcareous-clay soils and notably cooler nights result in more mineral complexity and floral driven wines, complimented by crisp, modern structures. Borgo Paglianetto’s blended reds, produced in the same area as the whites but under the Marche Rosso IGT, also show this mineral backbone, set against juicy red fruit and an appealingly taught structure.