Cortese
75cl * 13.5% ABV * Organic * Gavi, Italy
Notes by Michael Palij MW: The wild and airy commune of Tassarolo gave rise to Livio Lorenzi’s 1970s vineyard project: fashion-iconic and age-worthy Gavi from the highest vineyards in the DOCG. His son and daughter (Luigi and Maria) together with son-in-law Andrea planted top-quality clones of Cortese at high-density on their unique patch of iron-rich ‘terrarossa’ soils. Work in the vineyard focuses on ripeness with three passes at harvest encouraging both acidity and alcohol along with full, physiological maturity. Further complexity arrives via batonnage and lengthy lees contact injects an extra kick of minerality into an already taut wine. It tastes windswept but is effortlessly at home with all manner of Ligurian specialties, as if Chablis and Muscadet had eloped to a remote part of Italy.