2017 | Gaja | Barolo Conteisa

Red Wine: 2017 | Gaja | Barolo Conteisa

Rich and expressive with its classic red fruit profile, this wine is silky and classy from the get go and very fresh with a finish that goes on forever.

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Producer: Gaja

Ratings: WA | 95  JS | 97

Vintage: 2017

Size: 750ml

ABV: 14.5%

Varietal: Nebbiolo

Country/Region: Italy, Piedmont

Detailed Description

Rich and expressive with its classic red fruit profile, this wine is silky and classy from the get go and very fresh with a finish that goes on forever.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The Gaja 2017 Barolo Conteisa opes to an immediate sense of dimension and textural width that distinguishes this hot growing season. In this case, that additional volume and power are expertly contained and refined in this wine with fruit from the Cerequio vineyard of Barolo. Cerequio saw hail damage in 2016 and was more fortunate this year; however, the site generally remains quite protected from extreme weather conditions (compared to its adjacent vineyards). This wine excels most noticeably in terms of mouthfeel. The finish is silky and long and those more astringent 2017 tannins are gracefully absent here.

• James Suckling: Fabulous aromas of ripe strawberry and raspberry with hazelnut and citrus follow through to a medium to full body with ultra-fine tannins and a racy and refined finish. It’s so fresh for the vintage and goes on for minutes. A classy and great wine.

Producer Information

Gaja is one of the best-known wine producers in all of Italy. Originating in and still based in Barbaresco, in northwest Italy, the Gaja name remains most strongly associated with Nebbiolo-based wines, though the company now makes more wine in Tuscany than Piedmont. The business was founded in 1859 by Giovanni Gaja with just two hectares (five acres) of vineyards in Barbaresco. Each generation saw expansion, although Angelo Gaja, who took over full-time in 1970, is often credited with the estate’s more recent success. He was responsible for overseeing sweeping changes in the vineyards and cellars, and introducing the famed single-vineyard Barbaresco wines Sorì San Lorenzo, Sorì Tildìn, and Costa Russi (now Langhe DOC wines). These changes were not always well-received: famously, the name of the Darmagi Cabernet Sauvignon translates as ‘what a pity’, referring to Angelo’s father’s regret over the introduction of Bordeaux varieties. Gaja is famous for having introduced Barbaresco wines to a wider audience and for modernizing Piedmont – introducing international grape varieties and winemaking practices more common in Bordeaux or California. However, traditional elements remain, such as long macerations and the use of larger oak barrels (albeit in combination with new barriques). The estate generated significant attention when it began to blend a small amount of Barbera into all but two of its Barbaresco and Barolo wines, relegating them to the Langhe DOC classification. Angelo Gaja insisted this was a traditional practice to correct acidity, and at any rate, the label focused on the vineyard name, rather than the appellation. Gaja’s move beyond Barbaresco started in 1988 with the acquisition of the Sperss vineyard in neighboring Barolo. In 1994, Gaja took over the 27 hectare (67 acre) Pieve Santa Restituta estate in Montalcino, followed by the 118 hectare (290 acre) Ca’ Marcanda estate in Bolgheri. The name of this estate, acquired after protracted negotiations, translates as ‘House of Haggling’. Although Angelo Gaja has never announced his retirement, the company is run in conjunction with daughters Gaia and Rossana.