In Ossolane dialect, ‘gera’ means ‘stony ground’, reflecting the rocky, glacial-marine soils of this small, east facing vineyard in Oira. You can see the ten year old, terraced Chardonnay vines from the ancient Garrone cellar (and the village cheese cave!). Made elegantly, the juice stays in contact with skins for a few hours before slow fermentation between 15-18 degrees. Throughout winter, the wine remains on it’s fine lees in an outdoor vat before bottling in March. Always in the pursuit of sparkling minerals and long, vertical profiled wines, Matteo guides this mountain Chardonnay perfectly, preferring stainless steel over oak to tell the story. Very small quantities are available from these tiny giants of Piemontese wine tradition.