Tenuta di Tavignano

A breathtaking view is offered here from the "Balcony of the Marches"just a few kilometres as the crow flies from the coast near the famous historic port city of Ancona. The Marche, a region with centuries of history, once fiercely contested, today unjustly underestimated. The area around Jesi and Cingoli was already settled in the 5th millennium BC and was a coveted wine and olive-growing area under the Romans. Even a Pope came from here, Pius VIII, so it is no wonder that a couple from old Italian noble families took on this area. In the early 1990s, Contessa Beatrice Lucangeli and Conte Stefano Aymerich di Laconi began to develop the Tenuta di Tavignano into a high-quality winery. High up, between two mountains that seem to be divided by the Esino River, the well-tended vineyards lie on the hills interspersed with clay marl and limestone. The constant breeze dries the vineyards early, the temperature differences between day and night favour the fruit development.

The region is also called the home of Verdicchio. And the mineral white wines with the designation Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore DOC are virtually the flagships of Tenuta di Tavignano. "Misco" and "Misco Riserva" have almost a subscription to the highest awards that Italian wine guides have to give out. In 2017, too, they were awarded the coveted "tre bicchieri" of the Gambero Rosso - in addition, the "Misco" Verdicchio 2015 was awarded the title "best white wine in Italy" ennobled.

Conte Stefano Aymerich di Laconi, or the "Engineer"as the great-great-great-great-grandson of the Sardinian viceroy is called here at his own request, likes to explain why his Verdicchio is so appreciated. It is not only the microclimate and terroir, but also the restrictions in the vineyard. Only a maximum of 3,000 canes are planted here in cordon training, because both Guyot training and a higher cane density, which are common in modern vineyards, are counterproductive for Verdicchio. He also relies fully on autochthonous grape varieties (Montepulciano and Sangiovese) for red wine; only a mini-percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon is used for the cuvée of his Rosso Piceno. Regional specialities, such as the fragrant Pecorino or the spicy Passerina, two little-known regional white wines, as well as the red speciality Barbarossa from the grape variety Lacrima di Morro d’Alba complete the exclusive programme. SUPERIORE.DE