Villadoria Gavi del Comune di Gavi 2014
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Villadoria, a winery deeply-rooted in tradition is building a bridge to the future. Over the years, the Lanzavecchia family, winemakers for four generations, has witnessed the evolution of an area which has its most precious treasure in wine. The Serralunga d’Alba hills, in the heart of Barolo, is the ideal location for the cultivation of the native vines at the origin of Piedmont’s most prestigious wines. It is in this invaluable land that Villadoria is located on the Cappallotto Estate: over 20 hectares in the heart of the Langhe. From starting as a nursery selling root stock to other growers in the late 1800’s they opened their winery in 1959.
In recent years, Daniele Lanzavecchia turned over the winemaking to his daughter Paola. Her talents have raised the profile of Villadoria by applying the most modern technology to the concept of traditional production, which takes meticulous care with every stage of the process. They farm naturally/sustainably, not using any pesticides or chemical fertilizers and are founding members of the Associazione Nazionale Biotipico.
Paola has renovated the old cellars and brought in new casks and barriques, designed a new tasting room and the overall look and feel of the winery. She is continually improving the quality and flavor profiles of her family’s wines. Her wines are the “new bridge” in the sense that they are softer, more elegant with integrated tannins yet still uphold the “iron fist inside a velvet glove” tradition of what makes Piedmont wines the most prestigious of all of Italy.
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.