Contrada San MicheleOften considered as the "grand cru" of Verdicchio, San Michele represents the quintessence wine from Cupramontana. The winemaking tradition goes back almost certainly to the work of the Camaldolese monks who near the current church of San Michele had a hermitage founded by San Romualdo in the first decade of the year 1000. Throughout the territory of Castelli di Jesi the monks tilled the forests (“terre silvate”) to create vineyards and arable land.
Always considered a natural cru in Cupramontana, San Michele is found in historical documents and oral narratives. Zone “of the sun”, free from stagnation of humidity, with excellent ventilation and a good height above sea level to ensure significant excursions between day and night temperatures. The vineyards in San Michele are harvested earlier than elsewhere, and the wines taste of aromatic herbs and orange peel. The soils are poor and calcareous with a predominance of clays, marls and chalks. Minor is the presence of sandstone, concentrated mainly in the upper part of the ridge. The wines of this area express power, structure and flavor, peculiarities precisely of this slope. In the warmer vintages they show muscle and fullness, while in colder vintages they are able to surprise with scents of iodine and the sea. |