Villa Bucci

For over 40 years, Ampelio Bucci spearheaded the qualitative revolution of Verdicchio in Marche’s Castelli di Jesi denomination. At Villa Bucci, his vision for what this grape could do when grown on great sites and made with the utmost care led to a global resurgence in Verdicchio’s popularity that persists to this day. As described by Ian D’Agata (vinous.com), the estate makes “some of Italy’s best and most age-worthy white wines”.

In 2024, when Ampelio was in his late 80s, he decided to sell Villa Bucci to the Veronesi family, who are dedicated to continuing his incredible legacy. Sadly, Ampelio passed in 2025, leaving behind a lasting impact on Italian white winemaking.

Villa Bucci constitutes 31 hectares of organically farmed vineyards within a 350-hectare estate. Of these, 25 hectares are planted with Verdicchio spread over five magnificent vineyards of varying elevations and aspects. Many of these vines are very old, resulting in low yields of seven to eight tonnes per hectare, which is considerably lower than the 14 tonnes permitted by Castelli di Jesi DOC regulations. This combination of vine age and tiny yields results in wines of great intensity.

The Verdicchio Classico Superiore, fermented in stainless steel tanks, is bottled the July after the vintage as its excellent structure requires lengthier ageing before bottling. The resulting wine has lovely purity, good depth, and superb complexity on the palate.

The Verdicchio Classico Riserva is Villa Bucci’s flagship wine, which, as described by Eric Guido (vinous.com), “remains the region's iconic and benchmark wine”. It is made from Verdicchio sourced from 50-year-old vines, fermented in stainless steel, and then aged for 18 months in large 50 and 75-hectolitre Slavonian oak barrels. The resulting wine is nutty and smoky, with superb richness and a silky texture that is often heralded as being one of Italy’s great white wines.