Barbaresco,

History

Angelo Gaja is Barbaresco's most revered winemaker, and our last Italian wine release of the calendar year. He is both Barbaresco's flag-bearer and a tireless individualist. Unquestionably a breakaway renegade, yet he is now seen as the embodiment and essence of what is meant as top-class Barbaresco. It was back in 1967 that Gaja first bottled his single Cru nebbiolo Sori San Lorenzo, followed by Sori Tilden and Costa Russi in the '70s, instigating something of a new direction for Barbaresco’s wine making. Flying in the face of the D.O.C.G. rules did nothing to dampen the spirits of his followers, and it didn’t take long for his relentlessly expressive wines to gain international repute among wine collectors. Today, after passing on much of the estate’s management to his eldest daughter Gaia Gaja, his wines rank amongst the very finest the world has to offer, with global devotees and huge critical acclaim.

Production

Over the years Angelo has travelled far and wide through the wine growing regions of the world, always returning to his beloved Barbaresco a little wiser and with fresh ideas. He is the ultimate craftsman, producing Cru wines in tiny quantities that bear witness on an individual level to the exact terroirs they come from. Small barrique maturation lends an elegance that for years was seen as innovative, yet is now considered the touchstone. Vibrancy, incredible concentration and breeding characterise these wines. Gaja produces an average of 350,000 bottles annually from 100 hectares in total. The vineyards span the communes of Barbaresco, Treiso and Barolo, Serralunga d'Alba, La Morra, Montalcino and Bolgheri.