Marina Ghibellina and her winery were an unexpected find. I was telling a producer in Piemonte how excited I was about whites from Campania and he asked me, incredulously (sardonically?), if I had ever tasted Gavi. Great question. I had tasted Gavi, great Gavi even, but was there a really great producer available in such a developed market as VA/DC? There was, La Ghibellina. Here there are 7ha under vine that are farmed organically. The vineyards are mostly on a significant slope with red clay that is filled with white rocks. There is a constant, brisk wind blowing. The focus here is on the fruit, and they are able to bring in beautiful fruit that produces deeply interesting wines. The still Gavi wines are filled with apple, peach, field flowers, and citrus. The Manin is exceedingly fresh and the Altius is very concentrated and long without losing a bit of acid or freshness. These wines see no wood and are simply a product of great farming. The Ghibellina family is also one of the nicest I have met, which makes finding them even more special. Everything is done by hand.
