I've never been a big fan of this wine, and that holds true for 2017 as well. Very ripe, very modern in a manner I didn't find harmonious, even if I enjoyed its richness.
Pale red and brown color. Charming floral aromas with slightly more earth than lingering fruit. Palate is less exciting, more tired, still ending with a firm finish. Probably a decade past its peak. Probably over-aerated, with this bottle double decanted several hours before serving.
Big, dense and powerful with more black cherry than red cherry, all still amazingly fresh and bright for its age. Palate shows more modern-esque touches, making this less classically Piedmont than I'd prefer, but a very powerful, tasty wine with good enough spice and complexity
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.
Opened shortly before serving, no time to decant. Floral and spiced start with so much charm to complement the brawny, powerful red and black cherry throughout. Complex and layered, there is no much here, even if not fully accessible yet. Lots of upside.
Open several hours before serving. Lots of ripe black and red cherry with sweeter spice vs the older vintages. Great nose is quite enticing, palate seems much simpler for now. Seems more like the 2000 than the 1999 from the flight just tasted. Very good now (90 points?) but clearly this is a wine that will be better in another decade. I just don't have the confidence to assess where/ how this will evolve when in its drinking window.
Very rich with a bready, leesy character that seems to be getting more pronounced as its gets older. Rich with very good weight, lemon, lemon peel and apple aromas and flavors. Probably would have been better if served colder.
Served alongside the 2001, both double decanted a few hours in advance. Floral with black pepper, licorice and dried herbs, fruit profile seems to show fresh, macerated and dried red cherry at the same time. More complex and tasty vs the 2001, but not as powerful or dense. The 2001 might be better in another decade, but this 1998 is more fun now. My Wine of the Night.
Served alongside the 1998, both double decanted a few hours in advance. Lots of powerful black and red cherry with background spice and floral notes. Less complex vs the 1998 but clearly more powerful. I preferred the 1998, but most others liked this 2001 more.
Floral start with more modern style vs the older vintages just tasted, making me think this will soften and more classic charm will emerge. But still fun and almost fleshy with sneaky power on finish with good+ length. Easy to enjoy now, but surely better in a decade+.
The toughest wine to appreciate tonight. So much here, but the aromas and flavors seem huge but out of sync, and little comes across as harmonious. But clearly so much great material here, telling us to leave it alone for another decade.
Equal amounts of red cherry, red berry, earth and mushroom with god floral and spice support. Very good balance and length, slightly shorter on density vs some of tonight's top wines, but very tasty and enjoyable. Possibly the only wine tonight that I thought has little upside from here.
Open several hours before serving, I wish I had time to double decant. Lush red cherry start-to-finish with sweet spice and faint earth. Very robust aromas, more restrained palate is slightly less alluring and complex, but still very tasty with good+ length.
Were I forced to drink Grappa, this seemed like a good Grappa. But I wasn't being forced last night, so only took a small sip of this bitter rocket fuel that did manage a near-sweet middle.
1996 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon Rosé 93 Points
France, Champagne
Plenty of berry, some apple and lemon with good+ depth, good length and particularly impressive balance.
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2017 Gaja Langhe Rossj Bass 85 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
I've never been a big fan of this wine, and that holds true for 2017 as well. Very ripe, very modern in a manner I didn't find harmonious, even if I enjoyed its richness.
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1974 Gaja Barbaresco 87 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Pale red and brown color. Charming floral aromas with slightly more earth than lingering fruit. Palate is less exciting, more tired, still ending with a firm finish. Probably a decade past its peak. Probably over-aerated, with this bottle double decanted several hours before serving.
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1978 Gaja Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Big, dense and powerful with more black cherry than red cherry, all still amazingly fresh and bright for its age. Palate shows more modern-esque touches, making this less classically Piedmont than I'd prefer, but a very powerful, tasty wine with good enough spice and complexity
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2000 Gaja Barbaresco 91 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
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.
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1999 Gaja Barbaresco 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Opened shortly before serving, no time to decant. Floral and spiced start with so much charm to complement the brawny, powerful red and black cherry throughout. Complex and layered, there is no much here, even if not fully accessible yet. Lots of upside.
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2015 Gaja Barbaresco
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco
Open several hours before serving. Lots of ripe black and red cherry with sweeter spice vs the older vintages. Great nose is quite enticing, palate seems much simpler for now. Seems more like the 2000 than the 1999 from the flight just tasted. Very good now (90 points?) but clearly this is a wine that will be better in another decade. I just don't have the confidence to assess where/ how this will evolve when in its drinking window.
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2014 Gaja Langhe Sito Moresco 87 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
Ripe and rich black fruit throughout but with moderate density. Good length but with a slightly bitter, oaky finish.
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2002 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 92 Points
France, Champagne
Very rich with a bready, leesy character that seems to be getting more pronounced as its gets older. Rich with very good weight, lemon, lemon peel and apple aromas and flavors. Probably would have been better if served colder.
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1998 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sperss 94 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
Served alongside the 2001, both double decanted a few hours in advance. Floral with black pepper, licorice and dried herbs, fruit profile seems to show fresh, macerated and dried red cherry at the same time. More complex and tasty vs the 2001, but not as powerful or dense. The 2001 might be better in another decade, but this 1998 is more fun now. My Wine of the Night.
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2001 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sperss 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
Served alongside the 1998, both double decanted a few hours in advance. Lots of powerful black and red cherry with background spice and floral notes. Less complex vs the 1998 but clearly more powerful. I preferred the 1998, but most others liked this 2001 more.
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2014 Gaja Barolo Sperss
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
Floral start with more modern style vs the older vintages just tasted, making me think this will soften and more classic charm will emerge. But still fun and almost fleshy with sneaky power on finish with good+ length. Easy to enjoy now, but surely better in a decade+.
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2013 Gaja Barolo Conteisa
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
The toughest wine to appreciate tonight. So much here, but the aromas and flavors seem huge but out of sync, and little comes across as harmonious. But clearly so much great material here, telling us to leave it alone for another decade.
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2000 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Costa Russi
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
Equal amounts of red cherry, red berry, earth and mushroom with god floral and spice support. Very good balance and length, slightly shorter on density vs some of tonight's top wines, but very tasty and enjoyable. Possibly the only wine tonight that I thought has little upside from here.
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1998 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sorì San Lorenzo 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC
Open several hours before serving, I wish I had time to double decant. Lush red cherry start-to-finish with sweet spice and faint earth. Very robust aromas, more restrained palate is slightly less alluring and complex, but still very tasty with good+ length.
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NV Gaja Grappa Sperss
Italy, Piedmont, Vino da Tavola
Were I forced to drink Grappa, this seemed like a good Grappa. But I wasn't being forced last night, so only took a small sip of this bitter rocket fuel that did manage a near-sweet middle.
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2004 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Coeur de Cuvée
France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
Seemed disjointed, off kilter.
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