La Giustiniana Montessora Gavi

La Giustiniana comprises hundred and ten hectares of vines in the heart of the commune of Rovereto in Gavi. Originally, this land was part of a Benedictine convent and was bought by the Giustiniani, a military family from the Republic of Genoa, in 1625. At that time, wine was already produced from the estate's original forty hectares of vineyards.

The Benedictine monks cultivated the first vines planted here. Today, the winery is managed by Magda Pedrini and production is focused on expressing Gavi di Gavi's potential from the estate's two single vineyards, ‘Lugarara’ and ‘Montessora’. These vineyards sit side by side at 300 metres above sea level yet have very different soils and subsequently showcase different expressions of the Cortese grape.

The ‘Montessora’, planted on alluvial and clay soils, is more minerally and has greater intensity, requiring more time to come into its own compared to other wines in the winemaker’s portfolio. It will age easily for up to a decade or more.

On arrival at the winery, the hand-harvested grapes are gently pressed. The must was cold-settled before being decanted into temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. Fermentation lasted for two weeks at sixteen degrees Celsius, after which the wine was stored in stainless-steel tanks at low temperatures until it was bottled the following spring. This allows for a fresh varietal style that’s main influences are from the unique environment of the vineyard it is grown in.

This wine is light straw-yellow in colour with fresh notes of flint and flowers. On the palate, it is intense and concentrated with a lovely pure fruit character. Flavours of peach and lime follow through to a long, mineral finish.