With left overs, Lobster Roll from our lunch at Legal Seafood Chicago,
and Alaskan Herb Crusted Halibut with Roasted Peppers, Corn and Regianno Parmagiana Risoto and Brocolini from our Friday night Favorites at Entourage Restaurant in DG,
I opened from the cellar this simple pleasant sipping traditional Italian White wine.
This is from Bricco dei Guazzi a centuries-old winery that dates back to the 16th century in the medieval village of Olivola, in Gavi, in the Piedmont region's southeast, in the province of Alessandria, one of Piedmont’s most historical and respected white wine producing zones, Gavi is also known as Gavi di Gavi and Cortese di Gavi.
Built in 1585, the historic estate of Bricco dei Guazzi and its Villa del Bel Riposo (Beautiful Rest Villa), was the home of the Guazzo and Candiani noble families. Stefano Guazzo built the Chateau in honor of his wife, Francesca.
Gavi is the main town of the area, which is planted to the local Cortese grape. Cortese for Gavi is grown in any of 11 communes in the area where the soils are abundant in chalky, white, limestone-rich clay. The best Gavi from these locations are delicately floral, with stone fruit and citrus characters and a crisp, mineral-laden finish.
While typically made in a fresh and unoaked style, by law Gavi can come in many forms: frizzante, spumante, metodo classico and méthode ancestrale. Most producers maintain a conventional winemaking practice of temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel and make fresh, still whites, employing several barrique-aged methods.
First recorded in the early 17th century in the province of Alessandria in SouthEast Piedmont, Cortese today is most highly regarded from Gavi where soils are limestone-rich. It also grows well in the surrounding zones, namely Monferrato and Colli Tortonesi.
The villa is surrounded by 35 hectares of vineyards on the hills near Casale Monferrato. The large winery building was built in 1700 on the north side of the ancient courtyard. Underneath the villa are ancient wine caves excavated into the hillside. The wine is produced worked by gravity: the grapes were passed into the masonry fermentation tanks and the wine was cascaded into large barrels on the lower floor.
Today, the modern winery supports the traditional production methods with modern structures that reach the capacity of over 2000 hl: the stainless steel tanks, with temperature control systems, and the modern bottling plant.
They also produce a portfolio of a dozen wines, white, rose’, sweet, and several reds from Monserrat’s traditional grape varietals, Cortese, Nebbiolo, Alborasso, and international varietals Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Bricco dei Guazzi Gavi Cortese 2021
This is 100% Cortese Gentile grape.
As is customary in the area, this is produced from the Cortese grape, a native vine of very ancient origins, widely cultivated in the Alessandria area In the Municipality of Gavi, from which the wine takes its name. Cortese produces lean, crisp, vital, ready to drink, immediately pleasant wines.
Producer Notes - “This wine is a straw-yellow hue of mid-range intensity. It boasts clear floral scents accompanied by a hint of melon and a light suggestion of citrus. To the palate it's elegant, very fresh and tasty, balancing the variety's typical acidity with a 'gentile' profile with good drinkability. Food Pairing: Great as an aperitif and when served with savory canapés and starters in general. Ideal for serving with the delicate white fish”.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=4254314
