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2016 Gaja Barbaresco

2016 Gaja Barbaresco

98 WE

Featured Review
Aromas of rose, red berry and eucalyptus mingle with whiffs of exotic spice on the gorgeous, fragrant red. Loaded with finesse and tension, the elegant, structured palate delivers crushed raspberry, white pepper and star anise set against fresh acidity and taut, lithe tannins. It's already compelling, but hold for even more complexity. Drink 2022–2036. Wine Enthusiast

Wine Enthusiast | 98 WE

Critic Reviews

Aromas of rose, red berry and eucalyptus mingle with whiffs of exotic spice on the gorgeous, fragrant red. Loaded with finesse and tension, the elegant, structured palate delivers crushed raspberry, white pepper and star anise set against fresh acidity and taut, lithe tannins. It's already compelling, but hold for even more complexity. Drink 2022–2036.

Wine Enthusiast | 98 WE
This is all about finesse with power. Such great length here with ever so refined tannins and precise strawberry, cedar, dried-rose and mineral character. Medium body. Fresh and vivid finish. Hard not to drink now, but wait until at least 2021.

James Suckling | 96 JS
I tasted this wine over two sittings, one at the winery and one at my home office a few weeks later. Although I can't claim any extraordinary differences between the two sessions, I noticed a few minimal shifts that are essential to understanding the wine's future aging ability. 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, licorice, 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 also 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.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RP
Gaja's 2016 Barbaresco is positively stellar. A wine of poise and grace, the 2016 has so much to offer. Expressive spice and floral notes open up first, but what really stands out is the wine's nuance and delineation. There is a sense of translucency to the 2016 that is impossible to miss. Sweet red cherry, mint, cinnamon and rose petal develop in the glass, adding further shades of nuance. Quite simply, the 2016 is one of the very finest Gaja Barbarescos in recent memory. This is such a gorgeous wine. Don't miss it.

Vinous Media | 96 VM
The Gaja family calls 2016 one of the best vintages they have ever experienced, with a long, slow ripening period without heat stress or disease pressure. That balance comes through in this suave, elegant Barbaresco. It smells of soft rose petals and tastes of juicy cherries and spiced raspberries, the flavors gliding along smooth, ripe tannins. With air, the wine picks up energy and depth, moving into a long, vibrant finish.

Wine & Spirits | 96 W&S
This gorgeous red evokes rose, strawberry, raspberry and cherry fruit, shaded by tobacco, tar and wild thyme notes. Pure, sleek and intense, with a firm base of tannins and vibrant acidity for support. This should evolve beautifully. Be patient. Best from 2022 through 2043. 1,800 cases imported.

Wine Spectator | 96 WS
The 2016 Barbaresco showed beautifully, with a classical yet seductive and sweetly fruited style that's going to evolve gracefully. Medium ruby-hued, with a core of sweet red fruits balanced by classic dried flowers, licorice, asphalt, and medicinal herbs, it hits the palate with medium-bodied richness that carries impress sweet fruit as well as building tannins. Barbaresco doesn't get more classic, and while it has a sunny, sweetly fruited style, it also has ample underlying tannins and structure, so give bottles 4-5 years. It should deliver the goods for two decades or more.

Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JD
The nose is poised, displaying very ripe raspberry and black berry aromas. The attack has intensity, partly thanks to its pungent acidity, but there's no rawness and the tannins are ripe. This is taut and structured and needs time. While concentrated, it's not excessively so, and the wine retains its delicacy through the very long finish. Drinking Window 2020 - 2040.

Decanter | 93 DEC

Wine Details for 2016 Gaja Barbaresco

Type of Wine Barbaresco : A good Barbaresco traditionally conjures a perfume of powerful floral aroma, and massages your tastebuds with gentle violets and roses creating a juicy burst of cherry and truffle. If you decide to let the wine age, it can develop smokey, earthy notes that round out the experience beautifully. No one is left indifferent after tasting one of these masterpieces, we can assure you of that.
Varietal Nebbiolo : Nebbiolo is the superstar grape variety and driving force behind the top-quality red wines of northwestern Italy. The Italian winegrowing appellation of Piedmont is covered by a sea of Nebbiolo grape vines. It is the undisputed king of grapes in the twin hillside villages of Barolo and Barbaresco, where some of the world’s most coveted wines hail from.

Quality over quantity is the motto for this subtly powerful grape. A mere 5,500 hectares of Nebbiolo are cultivated around the world, of which, more than 4,000 are found in Langhe and Roero. The varietal has been growing here since the 1st century and has been called Nebbiolo since the 1200’s. Like most ancient grape varietals, there are many speculations as to its true origin, but what is certain is that in the hills of Langhe and Roero, Nebbiolo has found its ideal environment.

Unlike Cabernet Sauvignon which is a versatile grape, Nebbiolo has not thrived when planted in wine regions outside of northern Italy. Nebbiolo is more like the finicky Pinot Noir: difficult to grow and highly reflective of terroir. The varietal thrives on calcareous marl, a lime-rich mudstone that is found on the right back of the Tanaro River (home to Barolo and Barbaresco) where it grows best in its warm climate and ample sunlight. The growing conditions in the hilly areas of Barolo and Barbaresco are optimal and produce some of the most sought after wines not only in Italy, but in the world.

The Nebbiolo vine buds earlier than most grapes grown in Piedmont but harvested last. The berries do not appear until long after flowering, making it very susceptible to poor weather conditions. The name Nebbiolo is thought to have come from the Italian word for fog, nebbia, which is common during the fall when the local hillsides are covered in a ghostly haze.

The iron fist in a velvet glove, which is a witty slogan for the wine of Barolo, can aptly be used to define the Nebbiolo grape itself. The thin-skinned, light colored grape packs a punch, producing wines that are light ruby when young and fades to a pale garnet when older. This characteristic should not be mistaken as watery; wine produced from Nebbiolo is super concentrated and flavorful with high acidity and tannins. When properly vinified, the best vintages will last for decades.

Despite the challenges of this fussy grape, some growers in the “New World” are trying their hand at harvesting Nebbiolo. In South Australia young producers are making wines that are fruiter and less tannic than their Italian counterparts. This novel take on the Italian grape has prompted California, Chile and South Africa to begin small plantings of Nebbiolo.

The iron fist in a velvet glove, the undisputed king of Piedmont and the deceptively powerful Nebbiolo grape may be limited in quantity, much-coveted, nearly exclusive to Italy, demands aging and can sometimes command high prices; the wait, the price and the difficulty in finding it is rewarded with one of the greatest wines made from the mighty Nebbiolo grape varietal.

Country Italy : Italy is renowned as one of the world’s greatest gastronomic havens; from certified Prosciutto di Parma to the sea-side seafood eateries on the island of Sicily. However, this epicurean experience could not possibly be as hedonistic without the ethereal combination of the country’s plethora of fine wines. It seems unfair that a nation should be able to boast, both, some of the world’s greatest cuisine as well as its greatest wines. Italian wine is one of the most sought after in the world, and has become the second most produced in the world, behind only France.



Stretching an impressive 736 miles from northern Italy to the peninsula’s southern tip, the country’s geography generates an enormous array of topography, climate and soil structure. This is an extremely important quality of its winegrowing and making industry which lays claim to nearly 550 different grape varietals, which all desire their own necessities, in terms of terroir and climate.



The still red wines of Italy truly characterize the nation’s vast and expansive terroir; Nebbiolo dominates Piedmont, where Barolo and Barbaresco reign king and queen of the region’s production. Hailing from Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany, the rockstar Sangiovese grape has become synonymous with greatness. Vin Santo sweet wines have taken on a mighty feat of competing with the glorious wines of Sauternes, and of course, Prosecco. Prosecco, located in Trieste (northeast Italy) and its creation of luxuriously effervescent styles of wine has become Italy’s answer to Champagne. The Glera grape variety, which has become synonymous with the name Prosecco, is the main ingredient and is beloved in the appellation where the village of Prosecco’s name has become world renowned.



The blurred boundary between Italy and the countries of Slovenia and Austria, where German influence still resonates through Friuli wines. The prevalence of Riesling and other such grape varietals is high in this region and have become extremely popular on today’s market.



With nearly 702,000 hectares of grapevines covering the massive and diverse landscape, Italy’s annual average of 48.3 million hectoliters of wine production is second only to France in terms of volume and Spain in terms of hectares of vines. The country is vast and overwhelming when it comes to the culinary arts, but perhaps even this is overshadowed by its production of some of the world’s most sought after wines, whether the omnipresent Chianti to the highly collectible and sought after Amarone della Valpolicalla.


Overview

Producer Gaja : Gaja: these two syllables are not only recognized world-wide, but evoke one of the greatest and most respected traditions in European winemaking. However simple it may sound, it speaks volumes about the Family, who is widely credited with transforming not just the image and international reputation of its native Piedmont region, but of Italy as a whole; raising awareness of the quality of single vineyard and parcel by parcel vinification and pioneering the cultivation of non-native varietals in Piedmont. The Gaja family has had a significant impact on the way that Italian wine is grown, made, priced, distributed and marketed. After World War II and the phylloxera epidemic devastated Europe, it was the Gaja family who put Barbaresco on the map, helping to elevate the quality and allure of the region. Gaja is one of a handful of fine wine brands that can compete with and charge the same price as the top names of Burgundy and Bordeaux. The Gaja estate’s long history and reputation are rooted in the meticulous production of wine from grape to glass.

The Gaja estate, founded in 1859 by Giovanni Gaja, has been directed by Angelo Gaja (Giovanni’s great-grandson) since the early 1960s and continues to honor and uphold his father and grandfather’s legacy. With the help of his three children, representing the fifth generation to operate the 163 year old winery, the Gaja Estate continues to thrive in Piedmont and has extended its holdings into Tuscany and beyond. Today’s portfolio reflects the family’s tireless efforts to remain true to the culture of traditional Italian winemaking, but also their willingness to act intrepidly. The collection includes the flagship trio of renowned single-vineyard Barbarescos, Sori San Lorenzo, Sori Tildin and Costa Russi, the esteemed Barolos, Contesia and Sperss, the once contrarious Darmagi Cabernet Sauvignon, Sugarille and Renina Brunellos, and their trailblazing whites, Gaia & Rey (100% Chardonnay) Rossj-Bass (95% Chardonnay, 5% Sauvignon Blanc) and Alenti di Brassica (100% Sauvignon Blanc). The controversial, yet innovative use of French varietals is clearly on display in Gaja’s current profile.

Gaja’s unique style of wines defies classification as either ‘traditional’ or ‘modernist’; “Gaja is Gaja”, according to David Gleave MW and successful wine importer. Gaja is synonymous with risky gambles and bold changes of direction, as evidenced not only by its interest in white wines in a land of reds, but also the turn towards international grapes in a region devoted only to indigenous varieties. Angelo Gaja’s fearless approach was first witnessed with the introduction of Darmagi, made from Cabernet Sauvignon. Planted in 1978, Darmagi was the first Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard to be planted in Piedmont. The name Darmagi, first released in 1985, means "what a pity" in the Piedmont dialect, and said to be Angelo’s father, Giovanni’s reaction to the arrival of Bordeaux varieties in Barbaresco. Unlike his son, he was rather bound to traditional techniques with native varietals.

The most controversial decision in Gaja’s history was to sully the Nebbiolo grape with a small proportion of Barbara, meaning the three most famous Barbarescos were downgraded from DOCG (Denomination of Controlled Origin Guaranteed) to simply Langhe Nebbiolo. “Appellations are not a dogma. In my opinion, they have the same relevance as the winery’s brand,” exclaimed Angelo Gaja. The famous trio eventually returned to DOCG in 2013 when the wines would be produced as single variety Barbarescos once more, but this was a declaration of his confidence

The massive operation is now run by his two daughters, Gaia and Rossana, though Angelo still has the final say. When asked about how new ventures and strategies will be decided; his three children laughed, “He’ll decide.” The Gaja estate produces 18 different wines from 100 hectares in Piedmont, 118 hectares in Bolgheri and 27 hectares in Brunello di Montalcino. The vineyards are planted to both native and international varietals, including Nebbiolo, Barbera, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. With nearly one million bottles produced annually, Gaja is one of the top producers in Italy, in terms of both quantity and quality. Quality is the estate’s main goal and does not hesitate to declassify entire vintages when they do not meet the extremely high Gaja standards (such as in 2003 and 2009).

What was once a humble 2 hectare plot in Barbaresco, has become a globally recognized brand, that exudes simple beauty, opulence, and elegance, a brand that reflects five generations of winemaking, that defies convention, demands global attention, and has become one of the most distinguished and omnipresent names in the world of fine wine.


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