2012 La Battistina Gavi

After decades of trying to dine at Al Forno in Providence, we finally got in by making a reservation in October. Lucky for us, Al Forno will make reservations for a party of 6 or more, which we were. We decided to drink Italian wines for the perfect compliment to the Italian meal. We started our appetizers with this bottle of Gavi. We learned about the Cortese grape that finds it's best expression in Gavi and were anxious to try it. The bouquet was very floral almost reminiscent of Sauvignon blanc, but without the cat pee or grassy flavor. It went perfectly with the stuffed clams, Margarita flat bread and antipasto.
This Gavi is bottled by Araldica Vini. Araldica is a cooperative with 200 members who tend to around 900 hectares of vines. They grow native varietals such as Barbera, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, Cortese, Arneis and Moscato as well as the less common Brachetto and Freisa. La Battistina is one of their more recently acquired vineyards. The chalky, mineral soil provides excellent drainage and the old vines, averaging 35 years adds complexity and weight to the wines. The wine proved to be an excellent start (we vowed to go on a wine hunt for Gavi) for the rest of the evening's repast which we paired with a Barbera and a Gattinara.

This culinary experience transported some in our group back to Rome, where they had been a few weeks ago. Not too shabby for an evening in Providence, Rhode Island.