L'Evento Angelo Gaja

This was a tasting of six wine -- two made by Angelo Gaja, and four represented in Italy by him. He spoke for the first 1.5 hr paying tribute to some of the great men of vines and wine who influenced him: Beppe Fenoglio, Cesare Pavese, Luigi Veronelli, Renato Ratti, Giacomo Bologna, Romano Levi, Bruno Giacosa, Giovanni Gaja. Then the wines were served.

• NV Gosset Champagne Célebris 89 Points

  France, Champagne

  Medium gold; fine bubbles. Nose and palate of honey, ripe apricots, citrus, autolysed yeast, some oxidation. Low sugar, high acidity, big minerality. Okay.

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• 2006 E. Guigal Condrieu La Doriane

  France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Condrieu

  Medium gold. Intense nose of oak, vanilla, toastiness, unripe fruit and minerals. On palate, big mouthful of new oak, lowish acidity, some oak tannins, alcohol seems high. Big, round wine that is not particularly long or complex -- but the oak gets in the way. Can't imagine that this will ever properly resolve. No rating.

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• 2004 Gaja Barbaresco 89 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barbaresco

  Ruby, clear, matte. Nose of cherries, violets, tarriness, and a little mint with time in the glass. Palate of fruit, earth and big minerality. Very acidic, very astringently tannic. Moderate length and complexity. Decades too young to drink. Difficult to imagine the greatness of this wine, especially when tasted side-by-side with the 2004 Sori San Lorenzo.

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• 2004 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sorì San Lorenzo 96 Points

  Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

  Ruby-ish, clear. More intense than the Barbaresco, with bigger fruit, earth, minerals and flowers. Same on the palate, along with some sweet spices, extremely savoury/umami. Tannins are high, but nicely textured and very ripe; high acidity, highish alcohol (label=14%). Richly concentrated, yet elegant. Long, complex and had a beautiful evolution over an hour in the glass. Gaja called this the Marcello Mastroianni (compared to the Insignia as John Wayne). I do love Marcello. WOTN.

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• 2003 Joseph Phelps Insignia

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  Purple/black, dense, opaque. On nose, giant fruit -- ripe, extracted, candied, syrupy-sweetness; vanilla liqueur, cotton candy; very intense. On palate, super-concentration of ripe plums and berries, low acidity, moderate level of ripe/smooth tannins, high alcohol. Soft, round, rich, fat, long and complex. Two years in new French oak, according to Gaja, yet it was so subtle in its oakiness; its only subtlety. Gaja called this the John Wayne of wines. No rating; I never got John Wayne.

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• 1996 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único 95 Points

  Spain, Castilla y León, Ribera del Duero

  Ruby/black, opaque. Big foreground of earthiness, roasted meat, cola, soy sauce; fruit there but in the background. Huge minerality and rich, umami savouriness; sweet and salty sensation, like 30 year old balsamic vinegar; high alcohol, just-right tannins and acidity. Full bodied, with extreme length and complexity. Second favourite of the night.

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He also spoke of the difference between "opulenza" and "eleganza", using John Wayne and Marcello Mastroianni, respectively, as the illustrations. Gaja was in great form.