Riccardo Baldi earned the title of best winemaker in Le Marche at Vinitaly 2018, and Best Winemaker Under 35 at the 2021 Food and Wine Italia Awards — recognition that reflects how sharply this young vigneron from the hill town of Staffolo has rethought one of Italy's most overlooked white grapes.
Backstory
La Staffa was established in 1994 by Riccardo's father Mario as a small family project dedicated largely to home consumption. Riccardo, born in 1990, initially studied economics before returning to work a vintage with his father. He requested two hectares, made his first commercial wines, and has since grown the estate to 12 hectares across twelve parcels, the oldest of which date to 1972.
The Region
Staffolo sits at the heart of the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico zone in the Marche, perched on hilltops that locals call "the balcony" of the Esino river valley. Elevations range from 400 to 550 metres, with the estate's top parcels among the highest in the appellation. The underlying geology is unusually old: a tectonic shift millions of years ago flipped the rock plate upside down, exposing soil four million years older than the surrounding land, with a calcium carbonate concentration five times the regional average. The result is wines with a pronounced salty minerality.
Vineyards and Farming
The 12 hectares are split between seven in Contrada Castellaretta and five in nearby plots. Verdicchio dominates, with small amounts of Montepulciano and Trebbiano completing the picture. La Staffa converted to certified organic farming in 2014 and Baldi continues to introduce biodynamic practices, including nettle applications and mixed legume cover crops. Each plot is vinified separately to map the differences between sites.
Winemaking
Baldi draws consciously on the Marche winemaking traditions of the 1980s and 1990s, championing hyperoxidation at the press and long lees ageing in concrete tanks — a material he actively collects from retired local producers. Fermentations are spontaneous; handling in the cellar is minimal, limited to occasional pump-overs and simple racking. The pét-nat Mai Sentito! blends 80 percent Verdicchio with 20 percent old-vine Trebbiano Toscano and is bottled under crown cap at 10 to 12 grams residual sugar.
The Wines
The core range includes the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore, the single-vineyard Riservas Rincrocca (1972 vines) and Selva di Sotto (1974 vines at 500 metres), a Montepulciano-based rosso called Rubinia, and the pioneering Mai Sentito! pét-nat — the first ancestral-method Verdicchio produced in the Marche.
