Verdicchio di Matelica is one of the best kept secrets in Italian wine. A tiny DOCG of just 200 hectares, it produces intense, mineral whites from steep, hillside vineyards close to the Le Marche’s border with Umbria. The quality is consistently much higher than its significantly larger neighbour, Verdicchio di Castelli di Jesi. Borgo Paglianetto is one of Matelica’s top estates. The wines are made by a young, local winemaker, Francesco Tavolini, who returned to Matelica after learning his trade at some of Italy’s most prominent wineries. Francesco brings the best out of Verdicchio, producing fully ripe, intense whites with both expressive fruit and taut minerality. They can age very well too as demonstrated by an superb vertical tasting of Vertis earlier this year which went all the way back to 2013.