Fattoria San Lorenzo is a pioneering natural producer in the Marche and a benchmark for age-worthy whites in the region. Today the estate is run by third-generation, Natalino Crogaletti, who produces a full range of biodynamically farmed wines in the Castelli di Jesi subzone in the Marche. The winery was founded by Natalino's grandfather, Enrico Crognaletti, who was originally a master cooper. Enrico dedicated himself to the vineyards and to identifying and isolating the best old massale selection clones from their oldest vines, which were planted in the 1960’s, to use for replanting their vineyards. The estate then passed from Enrico to Natalino’s father, Gino, after whom their two entry-level wines are named.

The estate is made up of 35 hectares of Vineyards in the areas around the winery in Montecarotto (including Ostra, Ostra Vetere, and Corinaldo). The vineyards are all farmed biodynamically. Soils here are rich in clay and limestone, which gives the wines both density and a cutting minerality. All fermentations occur in concrete vats spontaneously with indigenous yeast, and all wines are unfined and unfiltered. They are also wines that often need extra time in the bottle to show their best, so Natalino holds back many of the top bottlings in the cellar before release.

The estate makes a range of different Verdicchio expressions from the entry-level Di Gino bottling, aged six months on the lees, to the denser and more complex Le Oche which ages for twelve months on the lees. Le Oche, meaning “the geese,” is a link to the numerous animals they have at the farm – geese, ducks, and chickens – who roam the vineyards helping create an ideal multi-faceted biodynamic farm. San Lorenzo is perhaps best known for their iconic Verdicchio Il San Lorenzo which spends about nine years on the lees in concrete and stainless steel before being bottled.

In addition to his lineup of Verdicchio, Natalino makes a range of great red wines, which are mostly Montepulciano and Sangiovese blends.  In the past, they were labelled as Rosso Piceno. He also makes a red from the Lacrima grape, as well as a pure Montepulciano bottling, and lastly, their flagship red, Il San Lorenzo Rosso, made 100% from Syrah.

While the wines in the past were labelled as Vedicchio dei Castelli di Jesi for white and Rosso Piceno for red, Natalino has decided to forgo the official appellations, allowing him more freedom to make the wines in the style he prefers rather than being restricted by what the DOCG board feels is typical.

These wines are full of character and offer tremendous value. Like many of our other white wine producers, these wines have both immediate appeal and great potential for aging in the cellar. They are truly unique not only in the world of Italian wine, but also in the realm of great and soulful wines of the world!