Giordano Lombardo: Hard Work in the Vineyards, Hands Off in the Cellar

It’s a cliché repeated over and over again in the wine industry, and one often co-opted by those who mean it the least. But with certain producers, there is simply no better way to explain it.

After spending the afternoon walking the vineyards and surrounding woods with Giordano, I almost forgot that they even had a cellar. The entire focus here is on the farming. The estate’s single vineyard is overlooked by just two modest buildings: one houses the osteria and the family home where we were welcomed, and the second is a small, working winery.

Before we stepped inside, Giordano warned us not to expect too much. He told us plainly that he doesn’t have a "pretty" winery, just a functional one that is perfect for exactly what he needs. He only crafts a few wines, but each is born from the same core principles, guided by the biodynamic calendar. Beyond precise temperature control and a light filtration at bottling, there is no manipulation in this cellar. Fermentations are entirely spontaneous. This minimal approach is a bit easier when working with naturally high-acid varieties like Cortese and Barbera, resulting in incredibly fresh, elegant wines that speak clearly of the wild, rustic landscape and the white soils they come from.

Giordano produces two Gavis (one unfiltered, one filtered), a Barbera, a Metodo Ancestrale frizzantino, and a tiny amount of passito sweet wine kept strictly for the property. We currently only import the classic filtered Gavi, a singular, vibrant expression that beautifully showcases all of Giordano’s hard work.

Giordano Lombardo Gavi di Gavi DOCG

Winemaking: 100% Cortese, hand-harvested in small crates from the estate vineyard surrounding the winery. Because the vines wrap directly around the cellar, the grapes are pressed immediately with zero transport time. The fruit undergoes a short maceration on the skins followed by spontaneous fermentation under temperature control. The wine then spends eight months aging on its fine lees before a light filtration, bottling, and an additional three months of bottle aging prior to release.

Tasting Note: Bright straw yellow in the glass with a delicate, elegant freshness reminiscent of wild acacia flowers and fresh hay. On the palate, it is perfectly harmonious, vibrant and fresh, yet soft and structured, stretching into a long, pleasant finish defined by a distinct chalky minerality.

MSRP: ~$29.99