Collestefano
Castelraimondo, Marche
Certified Organic.
Availability:
SA, VIC, NSW & TAS
Collestefano sits high above Castelraimondo in the Valle Camertina, surrounded by nothing but fields at 450 metres above sea level. Protected from maritime winds that influence much of the Marche, this is a quiet corner of the region, where cool nights, mountain air and even-handed climate create conditions for a distinctly different expression of Verdicchio.
The estate is the work of the Marchionni family, farmers who arrived in Rustano di Castelraimondo in the 1960s and gradually established themselves in the valley. In 1978, the family acquired the small hillside property that had long been known as Collestefano. Twenty years later, in 1998, Fabio Marchionni, newly graduated in oenology, bottled the estate's first vintage of Verdicchio di Matelica.
For Collestefano, and for Matelica itself, it was the beginning of a new era.
From the start, the Marchionnis understood that the estate’s greatest asset was not the pursuit of a more powerful or international style of wine, but the particular character of its place. The vineyards sit in a broader self-sustaining agricultural ecosystem, farmed organically since the beginning and certified since 1995. The soils are treated with organic manure, with the aim of maintaining balance and minimising the use of copper, while the vineyards are managed as part of the wider landscape rather than in isolation from it.
The result is Verdicchio with a distinctive inland accent. There is the variety’s familiar citrus and herbal character, but also a particular sense of coolness, salinity and mineral drive. The wines are lean without being austere, textured without losing their energy, and built around the kind of tension that allows Verdicchio to become increasingly complex with time.
Collestefano represents the best of what makes Matelica so compelling: a remarkable site, a family deeply connected to the land and a wine that has never needed to shout to make its point. In a region increasingly recognised for the quality and longevity of its whites, Collestefano remains one of Verdicchio di Matelica’s most compelling estates.
2025 Collestefano Verdicchio di Matelica
A vibrant and precise expression of Verdicchio di Matelica, Collestefano’s 2025 captures the freshness, energy and mineral character of inland Marche. Grown at 450 metres above sea level in the Valle Camertina, the wine reflects the cool nights and temperate climate of Matelica, delivering a bright, saline and effortlessly drinkable expression of one of Italy’s great white varieties.
Winemaking
At approximately 450 metres above sea level in the Valle Camertina, the estate’s organically farmed vines benefit from cool nights and a temperate, inland climate. Grapes are hand-harvested fermented with indigenous yeasts, with the wine raised in stainless steel to preserve the freshness, varietal character and mineral energy of the fruit.
Tasting Notes
Bright and expressive, with aromas of citrus, white flowers and fresh herbs. The palate is energetic and finely textured, combining crisp acidity with a distinctly saline, mineral character. Fresh, precise and beautifully balanced, it finishes with a persistent line of citrus and cool mineral freshness.