Winemaker Notes
Pale straw, with delicate greenish highlights. The nose is intense, long, continuous, persistent, from fruited to flowery to stage of development. The palate is highly typical, flinty accents; almonds and hazelnut in the finale.
Excellent with any meal; also for the usual pairings with white wines (fish, shellfish and seafood), well paired with white meats, fowl and light meats. Also ideal as aperitif and after dinner.
Professional Ratings
-
Tasting Panel
This is the Gavi that sets the standard for all others. Thyme and pine nut lead on both the nose and palate, and on the latter, green apple sharpens the senses with a burst of lime zest, orange blossom, and keen minerality
-
James Suckling
Aromas and flavors of cedro with light floral and herbal touches. Fresh, tasty palate with a clean, persistent finish. Just slightly rustic from the lees stirring, but interesting. Drink now.
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.