Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Attractive aromas of fresh lime, pear skins, tarragon, jasmine and crushed stones. Medium-bodied, delicate and sleek on the palate with vivid acidity and a refreshing, citrusy finish. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification.
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Wine Enthusiast
Luxuriously waxy and honeyed, this Gavi offers a roasted richness that fills the mouth. Perfectly ripe peaches emerge toward the end, showcasing the wine’s exceptional fruit character. Notes of baked nectarine and roasted almonds delight, leading to a salty finish of great finesse and lingering acidity.
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.