La Giustiniana comprises 110 hectares of vines in the heart of the commune of Rovereto in Gavi. Originally, this land was part of a Benedictine convent and was bought by the Giustiniani, a military family from the Republic of Genoa, in 1625. At that time, wine was already produced from the estate’s original 40 hectares of vineyards. The Benedictine monks cultivated the first vines planted here. Today, the winery is managed by Magda Pedrini and production is focused on expressing Gavi di Gavi’s potential from the estate’s two single vineyards, ‘Lugarara’ and ‘Montessora’. These vineyards sit side by side at 300 metres above sea level yet have very different soils and subsequently showcase different expressions of the Cortese grape.
The ‘Montessora’, planted on alluvial and clay soils, is more mineral and has greater intensity, requiring more time to come into its own. It will age easily for up to a decade or more.