The eight-acre Sori Tildin vineyard was acquired by Gaja family in 1934. "Sori" means a hilltop with a southern exposure; "Tildin" was the nickname of Angelo Gaja's grandmother, Clotilde Rey. Through the 1995 vintage, the Gaja single cru Sorì Tildìn was labeled as Barbaresco. However, starting with 1996 Gaja formally chose to eschew the DOCG requirements for Barbaresco (for example, by blending Barbera and Cabernet Sauvignon into the wines when only Nebbiolo is allowed in Barbaresco DOCG) in favor of the more humble Langhe DOC appellation. What this means is that these wines are defined two ways with 1995 and older as Barbaresco and 1996 and newer as Langhe DOC.

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