White

Rafé

By Cascina Gilli, Monferrato, Piemonte, Italy

Cascina Gilli Rafé

Rafé is Cascina Gilli's Piemonte DOC Chardonnay, fermented and aged entirely in steel for a fresh, aromatic style typical of the estate's continental Monferrato climate.

Tasting notes

Pale straw yellow with greenish highlights. Intense notes of citrus fruit such as lime and bergamot, stone fruit like peach and tropical fruit like banana, with delicate hints of broom, Mediterranean scrub, hay, nuts and sweet spices. The palate is agile, full bodied, round and persistent, with traces of honey and hazelnut.

Pairs well with

Fish, sushi and delicate risottos; also good with flavourful cured prosciutto.

Technical details

Style
White
Denomination
Piemonte DOC Chardonnay
Grape
Chardonnay 100%
Production area
Castelnuovo Don Bosco and Schierano vineyards
Soil
Grey-blue clayey marl with limestone
Exposure
S
Harvest
Hand harvested close to mid-September
Vineyard planting
4,000 vines/ha, Guyot trained, vines young to 40 years old
Vinification
The grapes are destemmed and softly pressed in an air-bag press; fermentation lasts about 10 days in temperature-controlled steel vats at 18C. A soft pressing extracts the juice without damaging the stalks, and the clarified must stays long in contact with the yeasts that drove fermentation, enriching it with its typical aromas. Bottling can take place in the first months after the harvest, as no time in wood is needed.
Serving temperature
Well chilled
Storage
Ready to drink now but has potential for ageing (2-3 more years).

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