The Gaja Barbaresco reveals terrific concentration, depth, and purity. This is a remarkably soft, harmonious Barbaresco from Angelo Gaja with pretty notes of raspberries, crushed flowers, and spices. The wine turns more powerful in the glass, as it gains additional richness, volume, and depth, all of which carry through to the polished finish. The wine’s balance is impeccable, and this is easily one the more harmonious, complete wines of the vintage
The Gaja Barbaresco reveals terrific concentration, depth, and purity. This is a remarkably soft, harmonious Barbaresco from Angelo Gaja with pretty notes of raspberries, crushed flowers, and spices. The wine turns more powerful in the glass, as it gains additional richness, volume, and depth, all of which carry through to the polished finish. The wine’s balance is impeccable, and this is easily one the more harmonious, complete wines of the vintage
Gaja is a renowned Italian wine producer, known for their exceptional Barbaresco wines. The Gaja family has been producing wine in the Piedmont region of Italy since the 1850s, and their Barbaresco wines are considered some of the best in the world.
Barbaresco is a red wine made from the Nebbiolo grape, which is grown exclusively in the Piedmont region of Italy. The wine is known for its complex aromas and flavors, which include notes of cherry, licorice, and tobacco. Barbaresco is also known for its high tannin content, which gives the wine a firm structure and allows it to age for many years.
Gaja's Barbaresco wines are made using traditional winemaking techniques, including extended maceration and aging in oak barrels. The grapes are hand-harvested and carefully sorted to ensure only the best fruit is used in the wine. The wine is then aged in oak barrels for up to 24 months, which gives it a rich, complex flavor profile.
Gaja produces several different Barbaresco wines, each with its own unique character. Their flagship wine, the Gaja Barbaresco, is made from grapes grown in several different vineyards in the Barbaresco appellation. This wine is known for its intense aromas of cherry, licorice, and spice, as well as its firm tannins and long, complex finish.
Another popular Barbaresco wine from Gaja is the Costa Russi. This wine is made from grapes grown in a single vineyard in the Barbaresco appellation, and is known for its elegant, refined character. The wine has a delicate aroma of red fruit and flowers, and a silky texture that makes it a pleasure to drink.
Overall, Gaja's Barbaresco wines are some of the best examples of this classic Italian wine style. With their rich, complex flavors and firm tannins, these wines are perfect for aging, and will only improve with time in the bottle. Whether you're a seasoned wine collector or just looking for a special bottle to enjoy with a meal, Gaja's Barbaresco wines are sure to impress.
The Gaja 2018 Barbaresco is a wine of grace and purpose, with an elegant bouquet and a more powerful palate presence. These recent releases from the venerated house of Gaja are some of the most transparent and honest expressions to be found anywhere in the Langa.
Some of the flashiness we saw in the past is today replaced by subtle Nebbiolo nuances and finesse, with crushed flowers, coriander, wild berry, smoke, tar and candied orange peel. This shift in character runs parallel to the slow and careful management transition from an older generation to a younger one. This 2018 vintage comes alive in the mouth, thanks to its balanced acidity and the absolutely bright and pristine quality of fruit delivered with such care.
The Gaja 2017 Barbaresco is nuanced and delicate with ever-expanding aromatic intensity that amply fills the balloon of your glass.
The wine takes a little while to open fully, and it slowly releases forest berry, powdered liquorice, toasted aniseed, spearmint, dried lavender and rosemary essence to build a lasting bouquet. The mouthfeel is streamlined and almost steely, with an extremely linear approach that adds to its length and persistency. The tannins are tucked into the wine's delicate fiber, but you do feel the extra textural firmness of the hot vintage nonetheless.
As we have seen in past vintages, more definition is added by a pretty mineral note that is a common thread in these wines from Gaja.
The 2016 Barbaresco starts off slow at first, showing a small margin of aromatic evolution in the glass. But come back two hours later, and you can almost hear the soft sounds of the symphony playing just below the surface.
The 2016 vintage is characterized by the solid intensity and firmness of its aromas, which transcend fruit and veer toward balsamic herb, liquorice, tar, and smoke instead. The tannins offer a moment of sweetness and softness before you are aware of their undeniable firmness. In all, there is a certain glossiness or satiny quality to the mouthfeel that underlines the wine's carefully crafted integration.
I would describe this as a classic and a somewhat austere Barbaresco that fully deserves extra cellar time to stretch those tight muscles and grow in volume. This wine will award those who wait.
The 2015 Barbaresco was to be bottled a week after I tasted this sample for review. Gaia Gaja was waiting for the right moon before commencing bottling. This vintage is not unlike the 2005 growing season that saw a good amount of rain in spring and scorching heat in the summer. The risk of downy mildew made vintners extra vigilant. Although the 2015 vintage was not ideal for color fixing Nebbiolo (indeed, this wine is slightly less intense in terms of its color saturation), it did prove an important year for power, structure and dry extract. This is a full and generous expression with a fine, loose texture and rich fruit flavors.
Gaia Gaja tells me 2014 was one of the best vintages ever in Barbaresco, if not the best for her vineyards. She cites the prolonged growing season that continued at a slow rate during the cooler summer months only to speed up thanks to a heat spell at the very end, right before harvest. Nebbiolo loves slow maturity and a prolonged growth cycle: The 2014 vintage did indeed get off to an exceptionally slow start. The 2014 Barbaresco is not austere or astringent. Instead, it offers plump ripeness with rich fruit flavors backed by spice, licorice and tobacco. The wine offers good structure from the point of view of its tannins, yet there is no harshness or bitterness whatsoever.
The Gaja 2013 Barbaresco is a toned and elegant wine with a very impactful and focused bouquet. Dark fruit nuances segue seamlessly to spice, grilled herb, tar, licorice and leather. In keeping with that trademark Gaja touch, those transitions feel polished, long and smooth. The pleasure factor is high on this wine, thanks to the robust concentration it offers and the beautifully velvety nature of its texture. Gaia Gaja tells me that she and her family are especially happy with the quality of tannins achieved in this vintage. They do indeed show a noticeable level of succulence and proverbial crunch.
The 2011 Barbaresco opens to a dark garnet colour and shows immediate opulence and intensity where its aromas are concerned. There’s an undeniable level of finesse and focus here that goes against all the things you might assume about a warmer vintage like 2011. The mouthfeel is perfectly tempered and smooth with an incredible sense of liveliness and dimension. Fruit is sourced from Gaja’s many vineyard holdings.
Smack from the start, the 2010 Barbaresco shows full-on Gajissimo personality with irresistible opulence and intensity, magically contrasted against remarkable smoothness and finesse. Everyone wants to know his secret. The wine delivers seductively rich concentration and integrated oak that is offset by a delicate portfolio of chiseled mineral, dried berry fruit, Spanish cedar, crushed herb, anisette and blue flower. Fruit is sourced from 14 vineyards in Barbaresco. It already leaves a mark, but will reward those who wait.
The 2008 Barbaresco emerges from the glass with sweet red cherries, spices, flowers and licorice. This is an attractive Barbaresco with excellent depth and a firm, tannic spine that is very nicely integrated with the fruit. The 2008 isn’t a blockbuster, but it should drink well with minimum cellaring. This is a classic, linear Barbaresco endowed with terrific energy and focus. Right now the 2008 seems to be holding its cards close to the vest. I would not be surprised to see it show even better in a few years’ time.
The 2007 Langhe Costa Russi combines richness and focus to a degree that has seldom been seen here. This insanely beautiful wine boasts a breathtaking bouquet, explosive, generous fruit and an absolutely eternal finish. Layers of dark red fruit, minerals, flowers and spices saturate every corner of the palate as this mind-blowing Costa Russi struts its stuff. This is a towering effort from Angelo Gaja. The wine should be accessible fairly early and age for decades.
The 2001 Barbaresco is gorgeous. Sweet balsamic notes open on the bouquet, followed intense, silky layers of fruit. The 2001 is subtle, classy and elegant from start to finish. Hints of early maturity appear in the aromatics, but the wine has more than enough fruit to support at least another decade of fine drinking. Tobacco, sweet herbs and liquorice add the final notes of complexity.
