Winemaker Notes
Pale straw yellow. Fresh and fruity with evident mineral notes. Savory with the right trace of citrus.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The 2024 Coppo Tenuta La Rocca Gavi is a light straw color and opens with aromas of fragrant Meyer lemon, white flowers, and a subtle hint of clove. On the palate, it is expansive and balanced, showcasing ripe citrus flavors framed by a clean mineral edge. Elegant and refreshing, this Piedmont white pairs beautifully with steamed Dungeness crab, where its bright acidity and citrus-mineral character accentuate the sweetness and delicacy of the crab meat. (Tasted: October 28, 2025, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Enthusiast
Fresh pine forest and sea-salted air weave through delicate floral notes in an unmistakably classic profile. The crisp palate delivers green apple skin and freshly grated lemon zest, leading to a mineral-driven finish that echoes with crushed stone purity.
Best Buy
First recorded in the early 17th century in the province of Alessandria in SE Piedmont, Cortese today is most highly regarded from Gavi where soils are limestone-rich. It also grows well in the surrounding zones, namely Monferrato and Colli Tortonesi. Somm Secret—Because of its freshness and chalky minerality, this white wine commonly populates the fish restaurants’ wine lists of the Ligurian coast so practically owes more allegiance to this neighboring region than its home.
Among Piedmont’s most historical and respected white wine producing zones, Gavi—also known as Gavi di Gavi and Cortese di Gavi—comes from Piedmont's southeast, in the province of Alessandria. Gavi is the main town of the area; Cortese is the grape. Cortese for Gavi is grown in any of 11 communes in the area where the soils are abundant in chalky, white, limestone-rich clay. The best Gavi from these locations are delicately floral, with stone fruit and citrus characters and a crisp, mineral-laden finish.
While typically made in a fresh and unoaked style, by law Gavi can come in many forms: frizzante, spumante, metodo classico and méthode ancestrale. But most producers maintain a conventional winemaking practice of temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel and make fresh, still whites. However, there are several barrique-aged examples, which can be interesting. The biodynamic wines of Gavi, fermented with ambient yeasts can be the most expressive.