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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.6 pts. and median of 93 pts. in 106 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by toppcats@aol.com on 8/12/2023 & rated 91 points: Reading through the tasting notes here on CT, I think many have done a goodjob with the tasting reviews on this wine, given the expected bottle variance. Cork appeared intact but fractured on cork removal, despite using a Durand. Decanted through cheesecloth to handle the few cork fragments and sediment, which was mild to moderate. Cork almost fully saturated but no evidence of seepage beyond cork. Aroma of cherries from opened bottle. Color - mostly a uniform dark garnet. Allowed 1 hour after decant until pour. Nose of both sweet and tart cherries/cherry syrup with a touch of anise/licorice, lanolin lotion, iodine, and tar (slight medicinal scent). Light to medium silky mouthfeel. Palate of cherry fruit and dried flowers with a touch of pepper on the medium length finish. Mild, but drying tannins, still present on finish. Overall very good-->excellent. (705 views) | | | Tasted by KVM on 4/30/2023: Medium red, a little amber edge. Anise, cherry syrup nose. Luscious body, peppery, cherry fruit. Silky, medium-length finish. (1023 views) | | | Tasted by gzim on 2/22/2023 & rated 94 points: Double Decanted at 10am for a 7pm dinner, which was necessary due to logistics and work, and I believe turned out to really help show this wine at its best.
Beautiful notes of complex red berries, with roses and spice. Lots of layers, and the wine still has many years of fruit left. Super fine grain tannins well integrated at this point. This bottle seemed to be in a great place and was very enjoyable. Shared at a Knights of Alba Dinner (1053 views) | | | Tasted by MC2 Wines on 2/21/2023: Knights of Alba (KOA) BYO Barbaresco Dinner (Legacy Records): Interesting to try on the heels of the ‘71 which was well integrated and so the treatment seemed to yield a bit of power and punch to the wine but not in an overdone way. This was still resolving. Get the oak. Don’t get as many of the other flavors as a result. Give it a lot of time. (1492 views) | | | Tasted by Tarpon222 on 2/14/2023 & rated 91 points: Drank over 2 days. Nice. Last of 3 expensive bottles. (1032 views) | | | Tasted by LuckyLars on 12/11/2022 & rated 95 points: Decanted for 90 minutes before having with dinner. This seemed to be sufficient to allow the wine to open up. The colour was very dark for a wine that was 22 years old - very little bricking on the rim. It tasted of rich dried fruit with noticeable acidity which gave the wine remarkable freshness. It was a gift from a friend - a very special treat! (830 views) | | | Tasted by paul195 on 12/2/2022 & rated 94 points: 6 of 12… Opened @ 1:00 drank @ 7:30 TN from last year holds, bright engaging balanced and delicious accompaniment to an amazing dinner the newly opened Cafe Spaghetti in Brooklyn (661 views) | | | Tasted by paul195 on 12/30/2021 & rated 95 points: 5 of 12 Had the 1998 last week. Two hours in a decanter. As with noted with prior bottles this a lighter brighter version of Barbaresco. An easy drinker, it has bright tart cherry fruit , rose petal and some light earth notes. The acidity here is more pronounced than the 1998 and it gives this 2000 lift and energy. Balanced with fine tannins and a persistent finish. This is really coming into its own (1573 views) | | | Tasted by Wino from Michigan on 9/25/2021 & rated 95 points: Amazing / last 2000 (1673 views) | | | Tasted by pas.vino on 9/21/2021 & rated 95 points: Wow! What a wonderful wine. So elegant and smooth. Aging perfectly with many years to go. Silk texture, lingering flavors and very special. (1632 views) | | | Tasted by vinhonotte on 8/14/2021 & rated 92 points: Pale garnet with browning fading edges. Light and elegant, with slightly heightened tannins and acids, and a pretty rosy bouquet and tart cherries, and a hint of mint and tar at the back. Quite a good length (1501 views) | | | Tasted by CRUSHER on 11/23/2020 & rated 93 points: cherry and cola notes (2404 views) | | | Tasted by Harley1199 on 5/6/2020: Still wasting time during quarantine. The bottle was breathing three hours prior lunch. Cork soaked from poor transportation or that size of the cork dear Angelo because it has been lying down on the same shelf and position since I bought it back in 2013. Elegant aromas of lanolin, rotten roses, violets, orange blossom water, artisan sponge cake, veal dipped in sweet spices. A complexity like few. Pure femininity on the nose. On the palate it presents a silk texture, a perfect and balancing acidity, a tasty drink, an excellent length and a delicious, yet decadent aftertaste. It lacks a little more elegance to live up to that wonderful nose. It has even an aniseed blow but needs a little more to match that unforgettable 1996.
Todavía malgastando el tiempo durante la cuarentena. La botella estuvo respirando tres horas antes del almuerzo. Corcho empapado por un mal transporte o por la medida del corcho querido Angelo porque ha estado tumbada en la misma balda y posicion desde que la compré allá en el 2013.
Elegantes aromas a lanolina, rosas podridas, violetas, agua de azahar, bizcocho artesanal, ternera sumergida en especias dulces. Una complejidad cómo pocas. Pura feminidad en nariz.
Al paladar presenta una textura de seda, una perfecta y equilibrante acidez, un sabroso trago, una excelente longitud y un delicioso aunque decadente retrogusto. Le falta algo más de elegancia para estar a la altura de esa maravillosa nariz. Tiene hasta un golpe anisado pero necesita un poco más para igualar a aquella inolvidable 1996. (2597 views) | | | Tasted by Genghis88 on 3/7/2020 & rated 90 points: Light bricking ruby in color, medium plus body
Fading cherries, iodine, some red licorice, iodine
Fruit has subsided greatly. All tertiary in my opinion. Tar, pencil lead,
still possessing 'grip'. Although delicate in makeup and nuanced in taste, the wine still possesses power. I would say its nearing the end of its life for my liking. An excellent wine without a doubt. Present well in tonight's Virtual #ItalianWine #ThrowDown (2363 views) | | | Tasted by Burgundy Al on 12/4/2019 & rated 91 points: Gaja White Truffle Dinner (Osteria Langhe - Chicago IL): Double decanted a few hours before serving, which I think helped make this so open, easy and harmonious. Lots of red cherry with spice and floral character in the near background. Very balanced and persistent, just less of everything vs the bigger 1999 in the next glass. (3486 views) | | | Tasted by KenK on 12/4/2019 & rated 92 points: Classic aromas of tar & roses. Good lighter style with a zippy edge. Not as complex or concentrated, yet offers nice flavors. Delicate, yet should age well. (2708 views) | | | Tasted by Nanda on 7/20/2019 & rated 93 points: BBQ and Top Shelf Vino (Chez Moll): Blind in a pair with 00 Bartolo. Pretty obviously Piedmont with red cherry, licorice, dried florals and musk. Fresh and round fruit with silky, refined tannin. Was guessing a traditional producer and somewhat surprised to see Gaja. No wood notes at all. (2829 views) | | | Tasted by acyso on 7/20/2019 & rated 93 points: Saturday BBQ (Chicago, IL): Served double blind. Correctly guessed as Piedmont based on the tannins alone. Very silky, with fruit that is of a riper tone, but with plenty of the necessary counterbalancing acidity. I was guessing this was a traditional producer, as there was no discernible new oak on this. Neither was there any modernist polish -- just a well-made, if a little big-boned, classically styled nebbiolo. I never got to the producer call but was in the right ballpark as far as age. (2822 views) | | | Tasted by Goldstone on 6/22/2019 & rated 94 points: Dinner with Greg (L'Envol Restaurant, St. Regis Hotel, Wan Chai, Hong Kong): Briefly decanted then drank over 2 hours between two of us. Translucent, almost transparent bright jewelled lambs blood. Nose is slightly muted but very seductive warm red asphalt, violets, warm hillside Italian herbs, Soft tobacco from a pipe smoker's pouch. Palate is drop dead silky gorgeousness. Wow... explodes on the palate and in your head... totally silence-creating. So silky and integrated but with a structure to carry it for many years. Precision and seduction. Lots of freshness but with an almost compote depth of ripe red and black cherry fruit. Thunderously resonant and reverberant at the back of the central cortex but in a contradictory soft and silky way. Comparisons with a top Vosne Romanee seem about right. Drinking beautifully now but with many years ahead for it to unfurl further. 94+ (2341 views) | | | Tasted by rraaffaa on 1/12/2019 & rated 93 points: Cherry, Black currant, structured, right into drinking windoe (2080 views) | | | Tasted by mye on 3/25/2018 & rated 93 points: Tokyo Visit; 3/22/2018-3/25/2018: Soft herbal, red fruit nose. but with plenty of heat . Tar, flower pedals. Smells gorgeous.
Cherry, dry plum, great acidity with medium tannins. Drinking well now but can last plenty of time. Awesome wine. (3787 views) | | | Tasted by psmith on 3/11/2018 & rated 93 points: Decanted the better part of the day. This has a pretty, feminine nose that's all dried florals and herbal notes; great detail. The palate is a bit more aggressive and young. The fruit is sweet and ripe. Abundant tannins, but they're not overly raw or grating, so this is very drinkable now if still on the young side. There's a weightless elegance to the wine that serves it well. Very nice. (2966 views) | | | Tasted by TannicBeast on 3/1/2018 & rated 93 points: Italian Retrospective at the Texas Wine School. Decanted for a couple of hours. The nose is still a little closed, medium in intensity, with red fruit, earth, dried herbs, black tea and some wood spice. The nose is still developing. The palate is dry, consistent with the nose, with high acidity, medium (+) tannins and high alcohol (14%, which however appears much lower). This wine is surprisingly youthful and lighter-bodied than what you would expect. It is more lithe than muscular and has five years left in its optimal drinking window and even more if one prefers even more tertiary development. A very well-made wine. Still I can't help but think that one is paying a huge premium just for the name on the label. (2863 views) | | | Tasted by Heynetty on 2/28/2018: 4thWednesdays - Giorgio & Paulo's Italian Wine Extravaganza - Feb 2018 (Texas Wine School, Houston, Tx): A: Pale garnet
N: Vanilla, violets (more florals than the first Barolo in the flight), fresh red cherry, dried red cherry, dust, bitter chocolate. Developing. Medium (+) intensity
P: Aromas confirmed. Got dried oregano on the palate too. Dry, high acid, high tannin, medium (+) alcohol, medium (+) intensity, medium/medium (+) body and long finish
C: Outstanding Quality and I would drink this now or lay down for 3 years (2953 views) | | | Tasted by Markus IWC on 9/30/2017 & rated 93 points: Elegant clean red fruit, hints of vanilla and oak. Perfectly mature, smooth and velvety mouthfeel. Lively fresh fruit, tannins fully integrated. Drink now and the next 5 years. (996 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, Checking in on Piedmont’s 2000 Vintage (Jun 2011)
(Gaja Barbaresco) Subscribe to see review text. | By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, November/December 2002, IWC Issue #105
(Angelo Gaja Barbaresco) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Gaja Producer website
Located in the Tuscany and Piedmont regions of Italy, Gaja makes collectible Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay wines, including the Langhe Conteisa label. Gaja wines are among the highest-rated in all of Italy. It is perhaps best known for its Super Tuscans, which are some of the most elegant on the market. However, the estate also makes top-quality wines rooted in Italian tradition, such as Barbaresco. It is perhaps the most lauded Barbaresco producer today.
Although the estate produces 18 different wines, the production is low at just 350,000 bottles per year, making these wines very rare. The best Gaja vintages include 2018, 2016, and 2015 as well as historically well-performing vintages such as 2013, 2011, 2010, 2008, 2004, and 2003. Many of Gaja’s best vintages have received perfect scores from criticsGaja BarbarescoWine description
“Barbaresco” is doubtless the most prestigious wine produced by Gaja winery, famous worldwide for its excellence. Nebbiolo is the only variety used, pure 100%.
The 14 vineyards are located in the district of Barbaresco and have an elevation that swings between 250-330 meters above the sea level. The total surface covers 21,4 hectares, where the vines have a medium age that counts around forty years old.
The wine making is managed separately. After fermentation, maceration and 12 months aging in wood, all the different wines coming from the 14 vineyards are assembled together. The final product is then submitted to a further aging of 12 moths in wooden barrels. Year after year, harvest after harvest, Barbaresco DOCG produced by Angelo Gaja has become greater and greater. It is a surprising wine under all the points of view. It is produced with selected grapes coming from different vineyards, showing its great quality and its unique elegance.
Features of red wine “Barbaresco” from Piedmont
Intense garnet red colour. The perfume recalls red berries, with floral sensations of violet, hints of aromatic herbs, spices, white pepper, tobacco and anise. The taste is silky and rich at the same time, supported by energic tannins that let it age also ten years. Great persistence.
Notes from the producer:
The Gaja family settled in Piemonte in the mid-17th century. Five generations have been involved in winemaking since Giovanni Gaja, in 1859 founded his winery in Barbaresco, in the heart of the Langhe area.
The Gaja name represents a legacy of qualitative supremacy maintained by the family over five generation.
The Nebbiolo vine is particularly affected by the small differences in the various types of soil. The blend of the grapes coming from the 14 vineyards stresses the features of the different terroirs, thus creating a complex and balanced wine. The bouquet smells of soft fruits, flowers, delicate spices and mineral notes. The structure is dense but elegant. It has a lingering finish with refined tannins. Each Gaja Barbaresco is the faithful expression of the production year and is suitable for a long bottle ageinNebbioloNebbiolo is a red grape indigenous to the Piedmont region of Italy in the Northwest. The grape can also be found in other parts of the world, though they are not as respected.
Nebbiolo is often considered the "king of red wines," as it is the grape of the famed wines of Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, and Roero DOCG. It is known for high tannins and acidity, but with a distinct finesse. When grown on clay, Nebbiolo can be very powerful, tannic, and require long aging periods to reach its full potential. When grown on sand, the grape exhibits a more approachable body with more elegant fruit and less tannins, but still has high aging potential.
"Nebbiolo" is named for the Italian word, "nebbia", which means "fog", in Italian and rightfully so since there is generally a lot of fog in the foothills of Piedmont during harvest.
Nebbiolo is a late-ripening variety that does best in a continental climate that boasts moderate summers and long autumns. In Piedmont, Nebbiolo is normally harvested in October.
More links:
Varietal character (Appellation America) | Nebbiolo on CellarTrackerItaly Italian Wines (ItalianMade.com, The Italian Trade Commission) | Italian Wine Guide on the WineDoctorPiedmont Vignaioli Piemontesi (Italian only)
On weinlagen-infoLanghe Consorzio di Tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Roero | Union of Producers of Albese Wines (Albeisa)Barbaresco Geographical details of the DOCG down to single vineyards. The vineyards belonging to the comune Barbaresco can be found here |
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