Campo San Giorgio Umani Ronchi, a little-known success story

Campo San Giorgio is a great Conero Riserva, a wine that exalts to the utmost the austere and balsamic characteristics typical to the area.

When it comes to the Marche, the attention of Italian wine lovers has for the past 15 years been almost exclusively drawn to the appellations of Piceno, Matelica and Castelli di Jesi. These three areas certainly merit the utmost consideration but they are not the only zones in the region producing great wine.

What they are, however, are three territories that have most efficiently been able to connect with new wine lovers - the Millennials and children of the digital age – with the secondary (and involuntary) result of stealing the media spotlight away from other top-rate winemaking areas in the Marche region. An example is Conero, a maritime zone a stone’s throw from the Adriatic that surrounds the regional capital Ancona and is the northernmost location in Italy for cultivating Montepulciano.

Here, this varietal has tannins that are livelier than those grown in Piceno and Abruzzo (except for in the province of L’Aquila where the tannins are fresher) although the wine retains its proverbial concentration. The result is a greater sensation of austerity. In cool years, the tannins have difficulty integrating into the wine’s structure but nevertheless produce a unique wine. It is unique also because of the aroma that, aside from the note of Marasca cherry, with aging takes on a balsamic/feral character along with notes of marjoram and nutmeg. The balsamic element is more evident with grapes from the southern and western parts of the appellation, the areas of Osimo and Numana, where the soil has more clay and the vineyards have more exposure. And it is this zone that, in the right years and in the right hands, produces the Marche reds with the greatest potential.

Among the handful of quality producers here, Umani Ronchi is one of the best. The estate is owned by the Bernetti family and starting in 2009 they have added to their line of production a Conero Riserva, Campo San Giorgio. It is an outstanding wine for the appellation and its only drawback is that it came out when the zone was not in the media spotlight.

However, a vertical tasting at the end of March of all the vintages that have reached the market up until now, staged at the Wine Not? Wine bar in Ancona (owned by Umani Ronchi), confirmed that this was not just an excellent wine but, in regard to finesse and agility, it has lifted the appellation to new heights.

Campo San Giorgio was created to exalt to the utmost the austere and balsamic characteristics of wine from southern Conero and it is made with the best fruit from a vineyard of Montepulciano the estate owns in the town of Osimo. The vineyard has an east-west exposure and is situated at an altitude of 150m above sea level. It is 10,000 square meters in size and has a density of 8,000 vines per hectare while the soil has a lot of chalk, typical for Conero.

The area’s mesoclimate is not hot and at the end of the summer the lows are below the average ones for the southern part of the region. The head-trained alberello method allows the grapes to be closer to the ground and to absorb the heat, which in this area can be a problem. In order to add dynamism to the wine, sometimes a problem with basic Montepulciano, the grapes are pressed with particular delicacy and not crushed. Pumping over is reduced and racking is delayed, basically the same system used in Burgundy to ensure the wine is not heavy as can happen to the demerit of the drinkability.

As we said, the result is a Conero that exalts the balsamic-iodine character of southern Conero more than any other wine, while maintaining unique looseness and fragrance. Not only is this one of the top wines of the area but one of the best reds in the region.

All the following wines are made with only Montepulciano grapes, mature for 12 months in barriques and then for another 12 months in large barrels without any filtration.

Conero Riserva Campo San Giorgio  2013

96/100 - € 40

A very lively and distinct ruby color with purple reflections and a fragrant aroma with extremely precise notes of wild mint and marjoram on a background of sour cherry and dark chocolate. The mouthfeel is rich, balsamic and fresh with very loose tannins. The finish is fresh, balsamic and deep. A fantastic wine with exceptional dynamism that expresses the harvest as a white would.

Conero Riserva Campo San Giorgio  2012

97/100 - € 40

A hot and, above all, dry year that resulted in the tannins being a bit isolated even if they remain sweet and perfectly distributed. A deep, ruby color with a garnet edge and a bouquet that plays a lot on the fruit (Marasca cherry) with hints of licorice and oregano. The mouthfeel is rich and bold, with balsamic nuances that intermingle with the fruit and a warm finish.

Conero Riserva Campo San Giorgio 2011

95/100 - € 40

A wine that from its debut gave the impression of excellence and continues to do so. It has a deep ruby color with a garnet edge and a bouquet of balsamic sensations and those of aromatic herbs, a note of After Eight chocolate and a presence of fruit that is so evident that there are no doubts of the wine’s capacity to age. The mouthfeel is very rich yet loose and deep thanks to its notes of iodine. One of the greatest Marche reds ever.

Conero Riserva Campo San Giorgio  2010

97/100 - Out of the market

A cool year that produced a wine that was anything but rigid and plays much on the salt. A hint of marine salt is also noticeable in the aroma along with notes of wild mint, cacao and a hint of chalk on a backdrop of Marasca cherry. The mouthfeel is extremely flavorful with tannins that limit themselves to offer the right cadence without favoritism.

Conero Riserva Campo San Giorgio  2009

95/100 - Out of the market

Stylistically, this is the wine that most recalls the great Conero Riserva, with extracts that are more distinct and grapes that have been fully pressed. The aroma has a strong note of licorice on a background of sour cherry and dried prune, with the balsamic notes for once playing a secondary role. The mouthfeel is more voluminous than in all the other wines with iodine nuances and deep tannins. This is more of a Conero Riserva than a Campo San Giorgio but a must nevertheless.

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