Lush, lifted fruit boasting fresh clementine, just-ripe pineapple, and white peach accompanied by notes of delicate honey, bitter almond, and savory herbs.

The La Miraja operates in an 11th century castle at the heart of a pastoral hill-and-vale region in northern Piedmont, far from the famous enclaves of Barolo and Barbaresco. In this armory-turned-cellar, Eugenio Gatti turns out Barbera d’Asti, Grignolino, and his fabled Ruché. A seventh-generation viticulturist, Eugenio personally tends to the oldest vineyard of Ruché in Castagnole Monferrato, the original birthplace of Ruché. The Chardonnay is hand-harvested fruit, destemmed, and then crushed by basket press into stainless-steel tanks, where native fermentation occurs. After 3 months in tank on the fine lees, the wine rests for an additional 4 months in bottle prior to release.