While the Piemonte region in northeastern Italy tends to get the most attention for its fantastic red wines, it also produces gorgeous white wines. One of these is Gavi wine, which was one of the first Italian white wines to gain an international reputation. Gavi white wines are made exclusively from the Cortese grape and are distinguished by their crisp, floral, peachy, and aromatic qualities. One area of confusion is its name – Is it Gavi, Cortese di Gavi or Gavi di Gavi? A Gavi di Gavi wine indicates that grapes are from vineyards within the township of Gavi itself, whereas other labels can use grapes from the surrounding communes.
The La Giustiniana estate covers 110 hectares in the heart of Gavi. Originally, this land was part of a Benedictine convent which was bought by the Giustiniani, a military family from the Republic of Genoa, in 1625. Today, the estate is managed by Magda Pedrini and the production is focused on showing the potential of Gavi di Gavi from two single vineyards of the estate.
The featured Winecroft white wine for September is the 2021 La Giustiniana `Lugarara` Gavi di Gavi. It is produced using grapes exclusively from the Lugarara vineyard. It has delicate stone fruit aromas with green apple notes, a fresh lime twist and an almond note on the finish. Perfetta!
This wine is featured on the winelist of the Elystan Street restaurant, the Michelin-starred restaurant in Chelsea, London.
