Brett happens

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore 2009, Podium, Gioacchino Garofoli ($22.45, 00711820)
100% Verdicchio from slightly overripe grapes. Gently pressed, clarified by cold settling, fermented at low temperatures. Matured 15 months in stainless steel tanks. 13% ABV.
Dried lemon, quartz, old straw and wood. Mouth-filling: extracted and intense. Some yellow fruit and dried herbs but more stones and tingly acidity. The finish is heady, saline and bitter. Less polished than the Casal but not without a certain rustic appeal. (Buy again? Sure.)

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore 2009, Vecchie Vigne, Casal di Serra, Umani Ronchi ($26.40, 11490341)
100% Verdicchio from vines planted in the early 1970s. The grapes are allowed to overripen slightly. Fermented in concrete tanks with native yeasts and matured on the lees. 14% ABV.
Straw, lemon, yellow stone fruit, almond, alcohol. Rich on the palate, stony and dry, with sotto voce fruit and high acidity. Long. Ends on a faintly bitter note. Overall, similar to the Podium but toned down a notch and all the better for it. (Buy again? Yes.)