2020 La Scolca Gavi dei Gavi Black Label Bianco Secco Italy White

2020 La Scolca Gavi dei Gavi Black Label Bianco Secco

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Featured Review

Lots of minerals on the nose with hints of citrus blossoms. Medium body with the same mineral base, carrying a thin bead of really tangy, almost steely citrus-fruit flavor. A little aggressive on the palate, at least for now. This may need a year or so to calm down. Drink or hold. James Suckling

James Suckling | 90 JS

Type of Wine	Italy White
Varietal	Cortese : With only a mere 2,950 hectares of the Cortese wine grape under vine in Italy, it is an impressive feat to be considered Piedmont’s finest white variety and credited with introducing the world to Italian white wine. The variety has been grown in the southeastern part of Piedmont for hundreds of years, and is known for its bracing acidity and ability to retain freshness even when grown in warmer environments. If not for the Cortese wine grape, the DOCG (Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin) of Gavi and perhaps the entire landscape of Italian white winemaking might not be what it is today. Gavi was Italy’s first white wine to gain international renown and is still considered one of the top-ranking Italian whites today. Comprised entirely of Cortese, of which has a heritage dating back to the 1600s, Gavi is a wine that reflects terroir, greatly due to the grape itself. It is characteristically bone-dry and crisp, flinty with fresh acidity, thanks to the mineral-rich soils of the area. A bouquet of floral aromas, reminiscent of white flowers, lemons, green apple and honeydew assail the nose, while flavors of apple, peach, lime and hints of almond pleases the palate. Cortese is not reserved solely for the production of Gavi, but is utilized in other winemaking styles and blends in prominent regions throughout Italy. Cortese Marengo, is another interpretation of the varietal; it is a sparkling wine made exclusively from Cortese grapes which are grown in a large area in southern Piedmont and permitted by the Piedmont DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin) for its use of the grape in its production. In Veneto, Cortese is blended into Bianco di Custoza alongside Trebbiano and Garganega. The thin-skinned, green colored grape of Cortese is quite sensitive to rot and must be carefully maintained in the vineyard. Cortese vines are vigorous in nature so yields must be kept in check in order for the grapes to remain concentrated and flavorful. If not, the result of wines produced may be bland and lacking in character. With careful attention in the vineyard and when properly vinified, the Cortese grape produces wines of unrivaled quality.
Country	Italy : Italy is renowned as one of the world’s greatest gastronomic havens; from certified Prosciutto di Parma to the sea-side seafood eateries on the island of Sicily. However, this epicurean experience could not possibly be as hedonistic without the ethereal combination of the country’s plethora of fine wines. It seems unfair that a nation should be able to boast, both, some of the world’s greatest cuisine as well as its greatest wines. Italian wine is one of the most sought after in the world, and has become the second most produced in the world, behind only France. Stretching an impressive 736 miles from northern Italy to the peninsula’s southern tip, the country’s geography generates an enormous array of topography, climate and soil structure. This is an extremely important quality of its winegrowing and making industry which lays claim to nearly 550 different grape varietals, which all desire their own necessities, in terms of terroir and climate. The still red wines of Italy truly characterize the nation’s vast and expansive terroir; Nebbiolo dominates Piedmont, where Barolo and Barbaresco reign king and queen of the region’s production. Hailing from Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany, the rockstar Sangiovese grape has become synonymous with greatness. Vin Santo sweet wines have taken on a mighty feat of competing with the glorious wines of Sauternes, and of course, Prosecco. Prosecco, located in Trieste (northeast Italy) and its creation of luxuriously effervescent styles of wine has become Italy’s answer to Champagne. The Glera grape variety, which has become synonymous with the name Prosecco, is the main ingredient and is beloved in the appellation where the village of Prosecco’s name has become world renowned. The blurred boundary between Italy and the countries of Slovenia and Austria, where German influence still resonates through Friuli wines. The prevalence of Riesling and other such grape varietals is high in this region and have become extremely popular on today’s market. With nearly 702,000 hectares of grapevines covering the massive and diverse landscape, Italy’s annual average of 48.3 million hectoliters of wine production is second only to France in terms of volume and Spain in terms of hectares of vines. The country is vast and overwhelming when it comes to the culinary arts, but perhaps even this is overshadowed by its production of some of the world’s most sought after wines, whether the omnipresent Chianti to the highly collectible and sought after Amarone della Valpolicalla.