Ca' d'Gal Sant'Ilario Moscato d'Asti 2021

This wine is simply a revelation. It’s drawn from a single hectare of 70-year-old vines, some 10 kilometres from Boido’s winery in Cassinasco, on a south-facing hillside with limestone-rich soils. Cassinasco is one of only 19 villages (out of a total of 52 in the Moscato DOCG) included in the newly ratified Canelli DOCG. Moscato fruit from this subzone surrounding the town of Canelli has been grown since the 13th century and has always been associated with greatness. It is in the heart of the region, where the chalky soils and high altitude are perfect for Moscato.

It’s a mould-breaking wine of cut-glass purity and restraint, with a fine chalky texture and mineral zeal. The perfume offers gentle notes of grapefruit and lemon sherbet, while the palate is so fine, buoyant yet restrained, shot through with white peach, nectarine and lemon zest. Everything is in its place. It has salty, crystalline freshness, an intense, chalky finish and a length of flavour that is in class of its own. At the Ca’ d’Gal ristoro they match this with everything from cured meats, cured fish and foie gras, through to Brös—the tangy ricotta and grappa specialty of the region. This can age extremely well, developing deeper lime and aged Riesling notes. If you ever wanted a wine to completely upturn a stereotype, this classy white is it!