1978 | Gaja | Barbaresco

The 1978 Gaja Barbaresco is a really beautiful wine that is still in its peak of maturity, offering up a deep and beautiful nose of cherries, blood orange, sous bois, gamebirds, fresh herbs and a beautifully complex base of soil tones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully structured, with the vigor of a Barbaresco that has just reached its peak of maturity. The wine shows off fine mid-palate depth, lovely focus and balance, still a bit of old school tannin perking up the backend and outstanding length and grip on the complex and tangy finish.

Reviews:

• Vinous: Gaja’s 1978 Barbaresco was a stunning wine with which to open our foray into the Barolos and Barbarescos of this historic vintage. The Pinot-like aromas alone were captivating, but the wine was even better on the palate, where silky tannins framed a gorgeous core of red fruit, flowers, licorice and tar.

• James Suckling: I tasted Gaja’s 1978 Barbaresco in Hong Kong last November, and it showed tea leaf, prunes and hints of leather. Whilst it was dry and tannic, it was also fully and juicy, making for an intense and still highly enjoyable wine, albeit one constrained by the winemaking techniques of the day.

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.

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