Region: Italy - Piedmont - Gavi
Grapes: Cortese
Alcohol: 12.5%
Notes on the Wine
Mainìn' is a dialect form of the name Marina; Marina Ghibellini is one of the owners of the estate. The ‘Mainìn’ is made from 100% estate-grown Cortese, fermented and aged in stainless steel. About 4,000 cases of this bottling is produced per year.
Good Gavi is characterized by an almost Chablis-like mineral quality, with restrained aromas of flowers, wet stones and citrus.
Notes on the Producer
La Ghibellina is an estate in the Gavi appellation of southern Piedmont, near the border with Liguria and less than an hour’s drive to Genoa on the coast. Cortese di Gavi, or Gavi di Gavi which the wine can be called when the grapes are grown in the commune of Gavi, was promoted to DOCG status in 1998. Wines labeled Cortese di Gavi or Gavi di Gavi must be made from 100% Cortese grapes. The Cortese grape, with its striking acidity and chalky mineral character, thrives in the limestone-rich clay soils around Gavi.
The owners, Marina and Alberto Ghibellini, manage the farm and wine production with the help of the clearly talented oenologist Beppe Caviola and their agronomist, Alberto Abate. While Marina's family has been in the Gavi area for generations, Marina and Alberto are newcomers to the winemaking scene in Gavi; they made their first vintage in 2000. Their total production is currently about 5,000 cases per year. I look for white wines that are clean but very expressive, and the Gavis of La Ghibellina is a model of this style.
