May I Introduce Two Handsome Italians: Gavi and Chianti

 May I Introduce Two Handsome Italians:

 Gavi and Chianti

**********

Cinzia Bergaglio La Fornace Gavi (DOCG) 2020, 13%, 

€19.95 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

This is a 100% Cortese  from the Tassarolo vineyard in Gavi. Colour is a light straw yellow with green tints. Delicate, fresh and fragrant neatly sums up the nose, typical of the grape, floral, and with notes of lemon and apple. It is well balanced between savoury and acidity on the palate. Peach and apricot figure, along with almond notes, in the pleasant finish with a dry finalé.

Le Caveau tell us that, for years, the Bergaglio family has been producing grapes which they sold in bulk, until 2002, when Cinzia decided to bottle her production. “Cinzia's vision is to farm following organic principles, the farm uses products with a low environmental impact, the vineyards are fertilised with green manure: among the rows, Cinzia grows a mix of herbs and various vegetables.”

The Cortese grape that yields this light-bodied white wine is grown in Piedmont and virtually nowhere else. It is known also as Cortese de Gavi or just plain Gavi. I’ve had some lack-lustre Gavi over the vintages but happy to put this on my Highly Recommended list. Piedmont is best known for its reds including Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto.

Geeks Bits

Vineyard: Tassarolo

ABV: 13%

Serving Temperature: 10-12 degrees

Pairing: appetisers, cocktails, seafood (especially with basil and lemon), soups, fresh cheese.

********

Innocenti Chianti Colli Senesi (DOCG) 2016, 13.5%

€18.95 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny

Ruby is the colour of this blend of Sangiovese (mostly) and Canaiolo Toscano, a DOCG wine from Chianti deli Colli Senesi. Plum leads the way in the aromatics. On the palate, there’s quite a wash of spice with cherry now heading the fruit flavours. It is slightly tannic with excellent acidity all the way to a fresh finish. Highly Recommended.

It is a versatile food wine and should go well with roast chicken. Le Caveau have a list from Tuscany: Try this with ribollita, a bread-thickened bean and black cabbage soup or pot roast pigeon cooked with sage and spiced luganega sausage with stir-fried fennel or braised celery.

The estate lies between Montepulciano and Montefollonico. The cellar buildings, dating back to end of the 13th century, are in the small, well-preserved medieval town of Montefollonico.

It is a family affair. The owner Vittorio Innocenti gave up teaching philosophy many years ago to dedicate all his time to the estate and the cellars and is helped by his wife Maria Rosa, theatre historian, his son Tommaso, who is currently finishing a course of study enabling him to take over the management of the estate, and his brother Mario, responsible for the care of the vineyards.

Chianti Colli Senesi is an area that overlaps some of Tuscany's most famous wine names – Montalcino, Montepulciano and San Gimignano – with the Chianti Colli Senesi title used to cover Sangiovese-based wines from the less prestigious vineyards of the area. (Ref: Wine-Searcher)