La Battistina

Following on from the success of the Alasia and Poderi Alasia ranges, 2002 has heralded in a new phase in the Araldica story with the purchase of the La Battistina estate in Gavi.

A little north of Genoa, off the A7, lies a small strip of land around the town of Gavi. It is here that Claudio Manera has chosen to invest in a small estate producing top class Gavi, from the indigenous Cortese grape. La Battistina Estate consists of 20 hectares of south facing vineyards on a unique combination of limestone and clay - this and the neighbouring 61 hectare estate, La Raia, from which grapes are also sourced are renowned as among the best sites in Gavi.

This isolated bubble of chalky, mineral soil allows full ripening, excellent drainage and the old vines, averaging 35 years, add complexity and weight to what is becoming one of the most fashionable wines coming from the region.

La Battistina itself is divided into two distinctive areas, producing two very different wines; the majority of the grapes go to produce 'Gavi La Battistina', a wine with pure poached pear characters and zingy acidity to balance the long finish. The premium 'Gavi Bricco Battistina' is produced from vines grown on the 'Bricco' or crown of the hill. Grapes are picked and vinified separately, and receive 30% new oak maturation for a short period of time for added texture and to complement the minerality and additional ripeness of the fruit.

Claudio Manera, who has been buying the wines from the two estates for several years, has seen consistently superior quality wines coming from these two unique vineyard sites. "The popularity of Gavi has grown, especially in the UK - in order to maintain quality and increase volume we needed to buy new estates. We've had our eye on La Battistina and the adjoining vineyards for a while so their addition to our company is a welcome and exciting development" says Claudio Manera.

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