1985 | Gaja | Sori San Lorenzo

A bit more austere than the others, but it hangs a lot of flavor on an elegant frame, showing toasty, spicy raspberry aromas and flavors, tightly wound and long.

Reviews:

• Decanter: After two not so exciting vintages - 1983 and 1984 - the 1985 represents one of the best harvests of the Italian wine renaissance that started in the middle of the eighties. Angelo Gaja was certainly one of the leading producers to take Italian viticulture and winemaking by the reins. The first vintage of Sorì San Lorenzo was 1967. The 1985, is now bright brick-red in the glass, revealing an evolved nose of Marmite, with a lot of liquorice, earthy minerality and balsamic depth. On the palate it is lifted by fresher fruit, almost giving its pomegranate signature flavour, with depths of rhubarb candy, clay minerality and tobacco. The tannins still have an edge of dustiness and muscularity yet showing great refinement with a super refreshing length and specific bitter orange (chinotto) finish. Restrained at first, then revealing a subtle youthfulness driving the palate through a feeling of Italian Autumn freshness.

• Vinous: A wine of pure joy, the 1985 Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo wraps around the palate with gorgeous fleshiness. Racy, ripe and textured, the Sorì San Lorenzo is a classic wine from this warm, precocious vintage. The 1985 won't last forever, but it is absolutely gorgeous and peaking today. This is a fabulous showing from Gaja.

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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