Gaja Wines

wines

This is an elegant Nebbiolo-based wine and arguably the most feminine of Gaja’s newest releases. There’s extreme balance and sophistication evident in the focused aromas of wild berry, white licorice, pressed violets and polished stone. The mouthfeel is tight, firm and those tannins need at least 10 more years to soften in your cellar. Beautiful.Wine Enthusiast | 99 WEThe 2007 Langhe Sori Tildin opens with a huge, kaleidoscopic bouquet that immediately draws me in. A remarkably vivid wine, the sensual Sori Tildin caresses the palate with silky, textured fruit, showing incredible power, length and class. There is a transparency to the wine that is beguiling. Once again, the finish is eternal. Sori Tildin is one of Gaja’s more nuanced wines, and in 2007 it is breathtakingly beautiful. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2037My most recent visit to Gaja was quite an experience, as I tasted all of the estate’s 1989s, 1990s and 2007s. The 1989s and 1990s are reviewed in this issue’s What About Now feature. Angelo Gaja, always loquacious on a wide range of subjects, says virtually nothing about his wines, an approach I have increasingly come to appreciate in an era where so many producers are constantly in pitch mode. Then again, Gaja doesn’t really need to say anything, the wines speak for themselves. I tasted the 2007s at the winery in November 2009 and then again in New York in January 2010. Both times they were spectacular. Stylistically the 2007s remind me of the 1997s in terms of their opulence. Gaja’s wines are often immensely appealing when young – which is certainly the case with the 2007s – but then close down in bottle for a number of years, sometimes many years. My impression is that the Costa Russi and Conteisa are the most likely of these 2007s to offer the widest drinking windows throughout their lives with a minimum of cellaring. Fermentation and malolactic fermentation take place in steel. The wines then spend approximately one year in French oak and a second year in cask prior to being bottled. As has been the case for a number of years now, Gaja’s Langhe wines incorporate a small percentage of Barbera. On a final note, it’s great to see Gaja’s daughters Gaia and Rossana increasingly involved in the winery. They, and their younger brother Giovanni, have big shoes to fill, but couldn’t have asked for better teachers than Angelo and Lucia Gaja.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2007 Langhe Sorì Tildìn opens with a huge, kaleidoscopic bouquet that immediately draws me in. A remarkably vivid wine, the sensual Sorì Tildìn caresses the palate with silky, textured fruit, showing incredible power, length and class. There is a transparency to the wine that is beguiling. Once again, the finish is eternal. Sorì Tildìn is one of Gaja’s more nuanced wines, and in 2007 it is breathtakingly beautiful.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGVery, very fresh and floral with peaches, ripe strawberries and plums. So aromatic and clear. Full-bodied, with powerful tannins and a cocoa, chocolate aftertaste. Gorgeous and sturdy. Needs time. Better after 2016.James Suckling | 97 JSToast and spice aromas lead off in this warm, expansive red, which quickly evokes black cherry, plum, floral and spice flavors, all allied to the silky texture and precision structure. Rich fruit and spice flavors echo on the finish. Best from 2014 through 2032. 80 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WS

Fragrant, with incense and sandalwood notes framing the core of cherry, accented by hints of leather, tobacco and tea. Exhibits purity and density despite the formidable tannins. The finish is long and complex, revealing fruit and spice elements. Best from 2018 through 2035. 1,833 cases made.Wine Spectator | 97 WSThe 2010 Sperss delivers a broad approach to the bouquet with bold flavors of red fruit, spice and milk chocolate that caress the palate. The wine sports a broad frame with beautiful fruit filling at its core. The tannins in Sperss are very firm and structured and this wine won’t be ready for five to ten more years. Drink: 2018-2040.I have some happy news to report from the exciting world of Angelo Gaja. The estate that was notoriously difficult (if not impossible) to visit for those outside the wine trade is now opening its doors to the public. There is a steep entrance fee, but the scheme makes perfect sense in my option. Any wine lover can make an appointment to tour the estate and sample wine for up to 300 euros a person. The money must be paid to charity as none of the proceeds go to Gaja. If you have a favorite non-profit organization, make a donation in that amount. Once you send receipt of payment to Gaja’s tasting room staff, your visit will be granted. It sounds like a fair exchange to me.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPDark red fruit, savory herbs, menthol, tobacco and smoke are some of the many notes that take shape in the 2010 Sperss. A wine of unusual translucency and nuance, in 2010 Sperss is supremely refined and less bombastic than is often the case. The 2010 shuts down quickly in the glass and its best days lie many, many years ahead. Today, though, I am quite struck by what appears to be a subtle yet noticeable change in direction at Gaja.Vinous Media | 95+ VMAromas of menthol, tobacco, juicy black fruit, grilled herb and a whiff of truffle unfold in the glass. Made with Nebbiolo from the firm’s Serralunga holdings and a drop of Barbera, it has a pristine palate that delivers dark black cherry, licorice and black pepper alongside firm but fine tannins. It’s still young and austere so give it time to develop fully. Drink 2020–2045.Wine Enthusiast | 95 WELots of dark, deep fruits on the nose with hints of game. Full body, soft and silky tannins, and a long and flavorful finish. I like the play of fruit and austere tannins. Better in 2017.James Suckling | 94 JS

Supremely elegant and poised, with a combed-back sleekness and grace. Crushed raspberry is at the centre of a deeper and darker palate of sweet black cherry, juniper berries and wild mint. Great precision and an underlying structure supports and gives amplitude to a glossy, fine finish like polished mahogany. Drinking Window 2019 - 2029.Decanter | 98 DECAs always, the Sorì Tildìn is a wine of nuance and delineation above all else. Beautifully sculpted and precise, the 2013 offers up a compelling interplay of dark red cherry, mint, lavender and licorice. A subtle accent of French oak adds nuance without detracting from the wine’s translucent personality and overall energy. At the same time, it is hard for the mind not to wander a bit and imagine what the wine might have tasted like had it been made more along the lines of the Costa Russi, especially given this site’s inherent finesse. But back to the present. The 2013 Sorì Tildìn is another drop-dead gorgeous beauty from Gaja.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGThe perfumes are fabulous here with strawberry, walnut and porcini mushrooms. Mountain herbs. Full body, tight and integrated tannins and a long finish. Refined and beautiful. Hard not to drink now.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2013 Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn sees fruit sourced from a vineyard site located directly above Costa Russi. This fruit is harvested at 260 meters above sea level, while the latter is located 30 meters lower in elevation. The age of the vines is slightly younger as well, with 45-years-old being the average age. That subtle change in vineyard location does much to shape the generosity and bounty of the bouquet. There is a distinct softness and roundness here that comes forth as dark cherry, pressed blackberry and plum, with tobacco and leather in a supporting role. This Barbaresco stands on solid feet with tight textural richness that comes exclusively from the Nebbiolo grape. Breaking with past tradition, Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn is made with a single variety.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95+ RPPure cherry, strawberry, spice, tar, tobacco and mineral flavors highlight this youthful red, which is fragrant and elegant, with fine balance and a taut, tensile finish. Reveals a racy side with air, showing terrific energy, complexity and length. Best from 2021 through 2038. 77 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 95 WSAromas of aromatic herb, dark berry, eucalyptus, iris and a whiff of espresso float out of the glass. The vibrant assertive palate shows black cherry, licorice, mint and well-integrated oak sensations framed in youthfully austere tightly knit tannins. This needs time to unwind and fully develop.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

Extremely pure fruit on the nose here with aromas of plums and strawberries and hints of cedar and rose petals, as well as rose stems. Full body. Very tannic and structured, yet polished and refined. Dusty and stony undertones and textures. Drink after 2021.James Suckling | 98 JSFrom the La Morra side of the Cerequio MGA, the 2015 is deeply resonant, its dark fruit tones layered with notes of cedar, tobacco and porcini. The Gaja family has worked extensively on canopy management since the warm 1997 and 2003 vintages, and this shows in the pleasantly tart flavors of black cherry and strawberry they achieved in the warm, dry 2015 growing season. The flavors weave together in a suave, seamless texture, expanding with air while maintaining precision and freshness. —S.J. Terlato Wines Int’l, Lake Bluff, ILWine & Spirits | 98 W&SThe 2015 Barolo Conteisa is a heady, exotic wine, and also one of the most complete, alluring Conteisas I have ever tasted. Conteisa is usually a wine of grace and understatement. The 2015, on the other hand, is a bold, sweeping Barolo that saturates the palate with stunning depth and volume. Even with all of its intensity, the 2015 remains vibrant. This is such a complete, harmonious wine.Antonio Galloni | 97 AGA big, beefy Barolo, the 2015 Barolo Conteisa comes from a site near La Morral and was first made in 1996. It takes plenty of air to come together but offers a complex bouquet of bright cherry and currant fruit interwoven with classic licorice, tar, sappy flowers, and even hints of iron. It shows a touch more minerality with time in the glass, but this is classic, full-bodied, powerful Nebbiolo with plenty of ripe tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a blockbuster finish. Give this structured, tight 2015 upwards of a decade of cellaring, and it’s going to keep for 30 years or more.Jeb Dunnuck | 97 JDThe large shoulders of this warm 2015 vintage contrast sharply with the delicate nuances of the 2016 Barbarescos also released now from Gaja. The 2015 Barolo Conteisa is intense, with a background chorus of plum, prune, herb, mint and wild cherry. It’s a very balanced Barolo. The Cerequio vineyard that provides this fruit often suffers from hail damage because the vineyard is located along the corridor of bad weather that comes over the hill from La Morra. There was some damage in mid-August, but fruit in the 2016 vintage suffered much more extensively in comparison. In fact, so little fruit was saved that Gaia Gaja is pretty sure this wine will not be produced next vintage. She tells me that they are now experimenting with anti-hail netting at this site—an eyesore they had long hoped to avoid.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96 RPSavory, with salinity wrapping around a core of cherry, strawberry, licorice, eucalyptus and tar flavors. Supple in texture yet firmly structured, showing nice harmony and a long finish. Best from 2021 through 2036. 250 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 93 WSUnderbrush, toast and oak aromas form the nose. Firm and austere, the linear palate evokes tart cranberry, raw pomegranate, sage and roasted coffee bean alongside taut, close-grained tannins. Drink 2023–2030.Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

Gaja’s 2019 Barbaresco was bottled only a few days before this tasting but it already has sweet roses and red fruits on the nose with very subtle, gentle spice notes. It has a great texture and flows gracefully across the palate. It feels very harmonious with plenty of refreshing acidity and finely integrated tannins. Sublimely elegant with a fine, silt-like texture to the tannins, it is poised, beautifully understated and charming. Keep for 2 years and drink for up to 20 plus.The Wine Independent | 97 TWIHeady aromas of rose, violet, forest berry and a whiff of oak-driven spice shape the nose. Smooth and full-bodied, the elegantly structured palate delivers crushed raspberry, licorice and coffee bean set against taut, fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Drink 2025–2034.Kerin O’Keefe July 2022 | 96 KO(Gaja Barbaresco Red) Gaja’s 2019 Barbaresco is gorgeous. Bright and nervy, with fabulous balance, the 2019 captures all the best this tricky vintage had to offer. Gaja did not bottle any other Barbaresco crus, opting to use the best lots for this bottling. That decision paid off in a 2019 that sizzles with tension. The aromatics alone are captivating. Bright acids lend vibrancy to a core of beautifully delineated Nebbiolo fruit. I can’t wait to see how this ages. (Drink between 2025-2039)Antonio Galloni | 93+ AG