Picollo Ernesto, Gavi

There's Gavi and then there's Picollo.

This is the best Gavi I know and when I go to meet producers from other regions they will often ask if I know the wines of Picollo Ernesto. Slightly under the radar, Gavi is their principal focus, which means one grape, Cortese. Cortese isn't the best grape in the world, but, because of the law of the land, it is the only grape in Gavi. So, getting the most out of the slightly unremarkable grape demands real attention and dedication. The results are this gorgeous, fresh lively wine with apple and citrus notes and white flowers.

Established in 1945, the winery is now in the hands of Ernesto the third and continues in very much the same way as his father and grandfather had done before. That is working in the commune of Rovereto in the heart of Gavi, where the difficult soils are capable of generating expressive and mineral wines from the Cortese grapes. Without pesticides and practicing organically, the estate's 7 hectares are on a mixture of slopes facing south and south west, allowing the Picollos to get the right blend for their expression of the appellation.