Villa Sparina, Gavi Di Gavi, Monterotondo, 2021
Villa Sparina, Gavi Di Gavi, Monterotondo, 2021
- 75cl
- 13%
- White Still
- Cortese
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Optimal drinking window: Now - 2030
The Monterotondo, the Cru, is the best of Villa Sparina - a full-bodied, creamy wine with minerality, acidity, vigorousness, longevity and elegance. The unusual and beautiful amphora-shaped bottle also makes it an excellent gift and a fun bottle to bring to the dinner party.
Villa Sparina has 100 hectares of land, of which 70 are cultivated with indigenous grapes; particularly dedicated to Cortese and Barbera. The vineyards benefit from excellent and varied soils, enjoying optimal sun exposure and the mild, temperate climate of southern Piedmont.
The 2021 Monterotondo is in a good place right now — the primary fruit has softened just enough to integrate with the wine's mineral structure, and it drinks with pleasing completeness. Over the next two to three years, expect the nutty, almost oxidative complexity to deepen further, with the citrus pulling back and the stony, saline character becoming more dominant. Around 2027-2028 it should be at its most interesting, with secondary complexity fully formed. After 2030 the fruit will likely begin to fade faster than the structure, and while it won't fall apart, the pleasure quotient will diminish.
Tasting Notes
AppearanceBright straw gold with a slight greenish rim and good clarity.
NoseWhite peach, lemon zest, and crushed stone, with a creamy, almost almond-skin quality that signals some bottle development. There's a flinty, saline lift that cuts through the richness and keeps it focused.
PalateFuller in body than you might expect from Cortese, with real texture and weight — the acidity is fresh rather than sharp, and it carries the fruit well past the mid-palate. White pear, preserved lemon, and a dry, mineral finish that feels more like Chablis than anything typically Piedmontese.
FinishLong, stony, and dry with a lingering saline note that makes you reach for another glass.
Overall impressionThe wine that Gavi always promised it could be.
Food Pairings
In and around Gavi, this kind of wine is made for the local cuisine's natural salt and fat — think vitello tonnato, the cold veal and tuna sauce dish that is as Piedmontese as it gets. Tajarin pasta with butter and white truffle is another natural match, the wine's acidity cutting through the richness while its weight holds up to the intensity of the truffle. Given its proximity to Liguria, it also works brilliantly with the seafood that crosses the Apennines — grilled branzino with olive oil and capers, or a simple plate of anchovies from the Ligurian coast. Locally, it would also appear alongside fritto misto di pesce, the region's mixed fried seafood, where the stony minerality acts almost as a squeeze of lemon.
We think this wine would go well with
Serve at 10-12°C — cold enough to be refreshing but not so cold that the texture and complexity close down. No need to decant, though giving it 15 minutes in the glass to open up is worthwhile. A mid-sized white wine glass works well; something with enough bowl to let the aromatics gather without being so large it loses focus.
The Monterotondo vineyard sits in the Gavi denomination in southern Piedmont, where the soils shift between calcareous clay and limestone-rich marl — the kind of mineral-laden ground that gives Cortese its characteristic stony edge and capacity to age. The area enjoys a mild, temperate microclimate moderated by the Ligurian Apennines, which delay ripening and preserve the natural acidity that defines the better examples. Sun exposure is excellent, and the combination of warm days and cooler nights helps the grape retain aromatic freshness even as it builds body.
Gavi DOCG — formally Gavi di Gavi when the wine comes from the town of Gavi itself — is a white wine appellation in the Alessandria province of southern Piedmont, made exclusively from Cortese. It earned its DOCG status in 1998 and remains Italy's most celebrated expression of the variety. In its worst incarnations it can be light and forgettable; in the hands of committed producers like Villa Sparina, it reveals a capacity for structure, mineral depth, and genuine longevity that few Italian whites can match. It sits geographically and stylistically between the richer whites of northern Piedmont and the brisker coastal styles of Liguria, sharing characteristics with both.
The 2021 growing season in Piemonte delivered exactly the kind of drama that keeps vignerons on their toes. Spring arrived with a nasty frost in April that had producers lighting fires in their vineyards, followed by a wet period that tested everyone's nerves about disease pressure. Summer brought intense heat and drought that pushed the vines to their limits, but here's the thing about old Nebbiolo vines on those Langhe hills – they know how to dig deep when they need to.
What emerged from all this theatrical weather is a vintage of real substance and character. The Nebbiolos show remarkable concentration – think iron fist in a velvet glove rather than the more immediately charming styles of recent years. Barbera performed brilliantly, delivering wines with bright acidity that cuts through the natural richness, whilst Dolcetto offers more colour and structure than usual. We're finding these wines reward patience; the Barolos and Barbarescos want at least another two years in the cellar to show their best, though the Barberas are drinking beautifully now if you fancy a preview of what this vintage can do.
FAQs
What does the Monterotondo taste like?
Fuller and more serious than most Gavi — white peach, lemon, and crushed stone with a creamy texture and a long, dry, mineral finish. It has real weight without losing freshness.
When should I drink this wine?
It's drinking well now and will continue to do so until around 2030. The sweet spot is probably 2026 to 2028, when the secondary complexity is fully developed but the fruit is still present.
What food should I pair this with?
Vitello tonnato is the classic local match, but it also works brilliantly with grilled fish, pasta with butter and white truffle, or anything from the Ligurian coast — anchovies, branzino, or a simple plate of mixed fried seafood.
How should I serve it?
Serve at 10-12°C in a mid-sized white wine glass. No decanting needed, but give it 15 minutes in the glass before diving in.
Is this the best Gavi that Villa Sparina makes?
Yes — the Monterotondo is their single-vineyard cru and the most ambitious expression in the range. It is also the one with the best track record for ageing, if you have the patience.
Why does the bottle look different?
The Monterotondo comes in a distinctive amphora-shaped bottle — deliberately eye-catching and one of the better reasons to bring it to a dinner party rather than leaving it at home.
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