It’s no surprise that we love the wines of Piedmont, and it seems most of you do too! We tend to focus on the local, indigenous varieties–especially Nebbiolo–but today we have a rare treat in the form of a perhaps surprising grape that actually grows very well in these Italian Alpine foothills: Chardonnay. It’s likely been planted here for many decades, but the most famous proponent was Angelo Gaja, a diehard white Burgundy fan who was and still is sanguine about his region’s ability to produce world-class Chardonnay. Today’s expressive, mineral driven gem from SommSelect hall of fame producer De Forville is not as ambitious as Gaja’s bottles, but it also costs many times less. Bright and unoaked, this is reminiscent of good Chablis from a riper vintage, with a touch of new-school California and a savory finish that is vintage Italy–and the price is outrageously reasonable too!
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The De Forvilles began producing wine in the mid-1800s, when Gioachino De Forville made Nebbiolo the family’s focus early on. He was succeeded by his son, Vincenzo, who was followed by his nephew, Paolo, who passed the torch to his daughter, Mafalda, who was followed by her sons and current proprietors, Valter and Paolo Anfosso. Their focus is primarily Nebbiolo, and with the exception of some Moscato d’Asti, they were exclusively red wine producers until Valter and Paolo decided to follow the advice of Mr. Gaja and they planted some Chardonnay in the early 1980s. Today the whole family loves having this elegant, dry white wine in the repertoire.
The vineyard sources for this wine are in the villages of Castagnole Lanze and Coazzolo, two towns right on the eastern outskirts of the Barbaresco DOCG zone. Conditions here are similar to those in Burgundy: it’s a “continental” climate, and the soils contain mostly clay and limestone with some sandstone. There is a palpable mineral component to the wine, which resembles a village-level Chablis in style, and the De Forville team treats it in a similar manner.
Crafted from 100% Chardonnay (including some fruit from the family’s 40-year-old “Cascina Buc” vineyard in Castagnole Lanze), this wine is made in a very straightforward manner: Fermentation and aging are in stainless steel. The wine is bottled in the spring of the year following harvest then given several months of bottle age before being shipped to the USA. In the glass, it’s a pale yellow-gold with flashes of silver and green, with aromas of green and yellow apple, lemon zest, white flowers, crushed oyster shells, and wet stones. It is medium-bodied and has a hint of creaminess, but there’s a spine of minerality and citrusy freshness lending loads of snap. Pair with a seafood risotto or hard Piedmontese cheeses.
