La Raia, Riserva Vigna Madonnina, 2021

La Raia encompasses 180 hectares in Gavi, in the rolling hills of Piedmont’s southeast, with 48 hectares planted to grapevines. The vines are planted 90% to the local Cortese and 10% to Barbera, in a diverse array of soil types—mainly chalky clay, with pockets of volcanic-derived iron which give the soil a reddish hue. “Vigna Madonnina” represents less than 10% of production, La Raia’s Gavi Riserva - one of only four examples of a Riserva in the entire zone. It is made from 20-year-old vines planted in the chalky white soils of the southeast-facing Madonnina vineyard. Tasting Notes: This is broad yet focused on the nose, with an intense Chablis-like chalkiness; the palate possesses concentration and cling, with the chalk echoing and carrying the flavors of apricot and apples through an impressively lengthy finish.