Morgassi Superiore Volo Gavi 2018 Gavi del Comune di Gavi DOCG, Piemonte, Italy 75cl

Morgassi Superiore was founded in 1993 in the steep hills around Gavi in south-east Piemonte, where the family farms south and south-west facing slopes planted to Cortese. It is a small, quality-minded estate, and Volo is its more ambitious white, drawn from a careful, hand-picked selection of the best fruit on the property.

This is 100% Cortese from the tightly defined Gavi del Comune di Gavi DOCG, the historic heart of the appellation around the town of Gavi itself. Rather than bottling it straight and young, Morgassi ages the wine on its lees before release, which builds more body, texture and mineral grip than a standard Gavi carries. The result is a white with real presence and a sense of place.

The 2018 now has several years of bottle age, and that suits this style well. The lees work and the time in glass have shaped a rounder, more savoury character, while the cool hillside fruit keeps the acidity bright and the finish long and clean.

On the nose expect lemon, white orchard fruit and a touch of blanched almond, leading to a dry, textured palate with a stony, mineral edge and a subtle saline lift. Serve it well chilled, but not ice cold, with seafood, risotto, creamy pasta or a plate of antipasti.

Gavi is northern Italy’s answer to a fine, food-friendly dry white, and this lees-aged version rewards anyone who enjoys Chablis or a more structured Soave. A confident bottle for the dinner table rather than a simple aperitif pour, and proof that Cortese can age gracefully.