At the heart of Gavi, Castello di Tassarolo joins centuries of aristocratic history to some of Piedmont's most committed biodynamic farming.
Backstory
The Spinola family, of Genoese origin, has been connected to the castle at Tassarolo since the Middle Ages and has made wine from these vineyards since 1367. Massimiliana Spinola, who spent years working in the contemporary art world in New York and London, returned to Tassarolo in 2005 and took over the estate after her father's death.
The Region
The estate lies in the commune of Tassarolo, in the Gavi zone of Piedmont, in the province of Alessandria, with 17 hectares of vineyards surrounding the winery.
Vineyards and Farming
From 2006 Massimiliana and her team converted to biodynamics. The estate is certified organic (Bios, from 2006) and biodynamic (Agri BioDinamica, from 2007), as well as USDA Organic and vegan. A distinctive feature is the use of draft horses in the vineyard, introduced through Henry Finzi-Constantine, an early developer of horse-drawn biodynamic equipment in northern Italy. The main grape is Cortese, alongside Barbera and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Winemaking
In 2007 the estate produced one of the first Gavi wines without added sulfur. Working with their enologist, Massimiliana and her team developed a way of making whites that are neither sulfured nor oxidative, crediting the health of soils and grapes from biodynamic work.
The Wines
The flagship is Gavi from Cortese, including the Orsola bottling whose label draws on an Andy Warhol portrait of Orsola Spinola, plus a sulfur-free Gavi and reds from the estate's other grapes.
