Drank last nite at the Czech embassy with our make-shift Cepages group. Decanted at the table for an hour before drinking, and this wine really needed it. Nose similar to prior tastings, with good aromas of roses, tar and herbs. Black fruit is prominent, and the wine surprisingly remains quite tannic, particularly noticeable up front. There's tar with some herbal and savory notes, and the wine seems bigger, chunkier than I recall. Balance would prob be my biggest complaint on this occasion, or lack thereof, due to the tannic nature of this particular bottle. I would decant for a longer period next time around
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Great wine, beautiful nose cassis, blueberries, graphite, blackberries and spices on the palate. The 1998 was the most ready the 2001 had the most potential the 1999 was good and more ready than the 2001. The consistency was clearly there across. This was as good if not better than the costa russi 99 and 04 across the board. Perhaps costa russi needs more time?
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No notes taken. Highly intense nose full of tar and roses, menthol and herbs. Dark fruit. Well defined. On the palate so round and smooth, full of fine red berries, tar, roses, herbs, crushed rocks. Complex, precise, elegant, airy with lots of intensity and very harmonious. A quintessential Barbaresco with all the telltale aromas and the fine structure and necessary textural depth.
Decanting: At first, I thought this might be over the hill but all that musty and soy aromas blew off with a bit of air. The wine got actually fresher, so some decanting is advised.
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Drank at Savona in Hudson. No decant, tho could've used it. Color showing some age, bricking in the glass. Cork was a bit wet, but no worries. Nose of roses and tar. Medium body, still plenty of red cherry fruit, somewhat earthy and a lot of tar and spice. Notes of cedar too. Tannins still there but softening. Excellent complexity, ultra-long finish. Powerful wine, but still elegant. Really delicious and holding up nicely. Went great with our Italian food.
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With Sundried Tomato/Mild Sausage Pizza Crimson and starting to slightly brick. Licorice, muted mint and scorched earth,bell pepper. A little hot on the nose at open. Good acidity. 30 minutes in BBC and red fruits starts to come out from hiding. Some nuts as well and alcohol blowing off. Spices and muted dark chocolate, tar coming through.
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Quite rich a d ripe on the nose, strawberry fruit, vanilla oak. Medium bodied, lovely pure red fruit, touch of cedar and spice, fresh acids, good length harmonious finish.
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A-M's bottle. Concerns caused by the moldy wet cork did not materialize in damage to the wine, thank god. Brick red color with everything you hope for: cherries, tar, spice, rose petals, and more tar. Endless finish. So many great wines this night, but this is the one that made me swoon. Exquisite.
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Decanted 1 hour. Color was opaque dark brick red. Edge a of brown'ish. Nose of cherries, spice. Palate was cherries, tar, spice. Long Finish. Rosehip, cherry and tar.
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It’s a lovely wine. The usual fare for Gaja. That said, not worth the price people are asking for the aging factor. Too tannic and not concentrated enough. Good wine but no wow factor here.
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quite disappointing I must say. Bottle perfectly stored, but after 20 years its' like the wine has passed out, nebbiolo is hardly felt compared to the scents of the wooden cask.. disjointed tannin, nothing really special and sub average wine imho, really don't get the hype here
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Excellent wine, at peak of maturity for me. Typical nose with balsamic aromas, olive brine and herbs. Very clean. Palate was otherwordly, silky smooth despite the weight of the wine. Firm structure with impeccable tannins. Immensely drinkable! Long aftertaste.
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Rauno and Adithi's Valentine's Day Dinner (Wellington, NZ): Two Piemontese wines served blind as a pair to finish. Decanted about five hours before serving, which seemed about right. Deep, dark colour. Also a dark nose: tar, black earth, black cherries and other dark fruit and brown spices. There was a lift to the bouquet but it was more dry herbs - or sottobosco - than floral. On palate, a broad, structured Piemontese, drinking much less than 19 years of age. Earthy with creosote, cherries, tartufi neri, porcini and sottobosco, old leather and black liquorice. Obviously a Gaja - the Gaja signature style was clear - but not really expressing Barbaresco, as opposed to say Serralunga, terroir. Sturdy but relatively fine grained tannins. Good fresh acidity and excellent length. Drinking well on the night but I'm sure properly cellared bottles will continue to evolve positively for 10+ more years.
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Wow wow what a wine, this is simply stunning. A quick decant and this wine sings, soo complex, sooo full and yet smooth and refined. The previous bottle we had was opened in 2013 (92p). This wine is at its peak and not going down anytime soon. Pure class. Sadly only one bottle left.
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Cherry, roses, licorice and a lot of floral in the nose. Balanced and polished and difficult not to like if you love nebbiolo. But drinks more like a 2013 than a 2001, will certainly not touch my last bottle in the near future.
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(Blind tasting) Full, deep and complex nose. Rubber, tar and spice. Minerals and crushed stones. Very multi-layered with depths of nuts, dark cherries and roses. Splendid! Extremely balanced palate between lushness, polished tannins and fantastic fresh grip. Rich, majestic, elegant. Rosehip, cherry and tar. So clean and a fantastic Nebbiolo expression. Soo beautiful! Will deliver splendid drinkability for at least 5-10 more yrs.
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Classic tar and roses, soft tannins and gorgeous mouthfeel. Finish goes on and on. Herbs, tobacco, new leather and baking spices. Took 45-60 mins to open then singing. Wish I had more of these to enjoy!!
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Decanted for 3-4 hours. Very nice colour. Very expressive on the nose with beautiful sour cherry, roses and flowers. Some leather and truffle. Still lively on the palate and good length. Handles the ribeye and mushroom sauce. Maybe the ending is a bit short, but a beautiful expression of Nebbiolo. Probably at its peak
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I was beginning to think I didn't care for nebbiolo and then I drank THIS! For me, this "modernist" style of Barbaresco had just the right balance of everything. Such an expressive nose, so pretty with nice round fruit and well integrated tannins. So complex.
I'll have to revisit more of Piemonte. I wish they could all be like this at a fraction of the price!
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Bought this one from Kroger at a significant discount as they were rebuilding their indoor cellar. Was worth trying a true Gaja. That said, it’s not really my cup of tea. Loads of barnyard and farm fields on the nose.. opened up after hour decant and continued to open over couple hours. The fruit was mixed with dried meat and herbs. Second day it tasted a bit better. I can tell this is well made, but had more of a sticky cheese vibe than other Barbareaco’s I’ve tried.
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What a bomb of a nose, with paint and lacquer, ripe juicy black and red berries, licorice, tar, the whole nine yards. Extractive, but without heaviness or the well-too-often-feeling of overly made up wine. Just brilliant.
On the palate is neat and balanced, with a polished, round tannin, length is somewhat shorter than Mascarello, but no less beautiful.
Modernist or no modernist, I’m loving it. With wines of his home terroir, Gaja remains a total blockbuster.
Nebbiolo night at Winil / 17 May 2018
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2001 GAJA BARBARESCO- one of my favs of all Barbarescos, this was great as usual; youthful, exciting, highly energetic and soooo pleasing on the palate; first, there was a veggie, bell pepper note in the nose, but that was overwhelmed by amazing flavours of black cherry first and foremost and then a touch of plum, baking spices and liquorice came in to complete the deal; it was smooth and lush, full bodied and long; such a treat.
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Decanted at about 4pm and enjoyed from 7-9 pm, best at the end of the span . Lovely, bright, translucent medium garnet color with little sign of age on the rim. Slightly smokey nose with red fruit, lavender, cedar and anise. Tannin almost fully integrated but still detectable. Mostly smooth and elegant mouthfeel. Balanced flavors in layers with plum, cherry, minerals, cedar, anise and light spice on the finish which lasted a good 45+ seconds. Sadly my last bottle of this....but fortunately several 2001 Sori San Lorenzo remain...
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This followed directly on the heels of the '10 Clos Rougeard Le Bourg, so a bit of a tough transition for the palate. Seemed quite lean and almost astringent in comparison initially and took me a bit to adjust. Not a lot of fruit noticeable here, more earth and leather and acid. Clearly improves for me when paired with the pizza, but generally did not wow me.
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Battle of Barbaresco, cooperative Produttori against Gaja, the king of Barbaresco. Vintages 85, 90 and 01 tasted against each other. Only bottle with documented provenance, comes directly from the Gaja cellars. Fresh and powerful fruit, perfect maturity, orange rim, lovely balance, clean and pure. Amazing wine, so beautiful. Develops constantly in the glass and gains complexity and delicacy, sadly only had one hour this time. Tasted this a few months ago, see previous notes for more detailed review. 95p
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En transparent, ekstremt klar farge av granateple, med et snev av en orange kant, men vinen ser latterlig ung ut! Wow! En presis og høy intens elegant frøken setter seg fast i nesen. Skarphet, men på den delikate siden. Spiss rød frukt med kirsebær starter showet, men går rask over i roser, urter, jordlig preg og lett treflis. Nydelig aroma, men frukten kunne kanskje ha vært litt tydeligere utover luktbildet.
Aaah, en uhyre kremete og fløyelsesrik masse leker og danser rundt i munnen. Ikke en heftig konsentrasjon, men særdeles eleganse med en bred harmonisk munnfølelse der godt integrerte tanniner, høy syre, og frukt er i en virkelig god balanse. Her er det litt tyngre røde og sorte bær, med bjørnebær og modne kirsebær i hovedrollen. Etterhvert også lett jord og lærpreg som til sammen får alle nerver i kroppen til å spenne seg i en særdeles uforglemmelig utgang. Fantastisk! En herlig vin som drikker nydelig nå!
Spørsmålet er om frukten vil vare i ti-år framover, og om vinen mangler kanskje litt kompleksitet i form av flere lag, men jeg nå tror jeg bare prøver å finne feil. Jeg er neimen ikke sikker på om hans CRU-viner i 2001 er bedre enn dette… Lykkelig!
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Very good. Typical Barbaresco. Need a bit of more time in cellar but not much. The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are slow. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like cinnamon, tobacco, cherry, mineral and rose. It tastes like blackberry, rose, cherry and cinnamon. The body is medium. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has high acidity.
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3 plus hour decant. improved as it warmed up from cellar temp. just ripe enough on the palate and tannins are still present (how i prefer my reds) but tame enough to get some very high quality fruit. great long finish.
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Lee's 40th $80+ Double Blind (Roswell, GA): See through ruby, pale rim; pretty floral, very nice nose, cinnamon, earth, mineral, spicy, crystalline purity, slight sandalwood; very fine tannin, elegant, refined, penetrating, lozenge finish; gorgeous, was on younger Monprivato, very little oak signature at all, continued to put on weight with air but we drank it too soon; my WOTN.
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Nice red fruit and some black cherry nose. On the palate still tight, red & black fruit, very nice but not great now. I will give this one 4-5 years to start showing more of the terroir, but all in all not up to the hype of price now. Drink now-2025, 91 point, potentially 2 points more.
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As of April 2017, from color nose and tannins, I believe it could easily go another year or two. Decanted for an hour before tasting. Color was clear on edges giving way to a nice deep brick red. Nose of dark fruit and licorice. Taste in the beginning was strong raspberry, which later gave way to a touch of leather, black cherry and a bit of tobacco. Last glass the raspberry was back riding on firm tobacco and licorice.
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Slow ox'ed for 2 hours then taken to Angelini Osteria. Perfect drinking stage. Fruit and tannins are just starting to fade. Aroma poured over the table when uncorked in the restaurant. Smell even better in the glass. Pallette and nose got better as it got more air throughout dinner.
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Double decanted four hours early. Very dark colour. Aromas of black truffle, black plums and dark cherries, high cacao chocolate, tar and old rose perfume. In the mouth, a beautiful, rich and deep wine. Creosote, dark berries, liquorice and tartufi neri. A huge fruit volume and architecture with lots of power. Good acidity, fine grained tannins and a long, savoury finish. The next day, the last glass had a more subdued nose of old leather and tobacco leaf and a more evolved, savoury palate of red fruit and dry brushwood. Give the wine a 6+ hour decant. Drinking well now but years ahead of it, of course.
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Decanted and smelled great cherry and strawberry nose. Still good spice and structure. Not too heavy, long finish. Probably drinking at its best but might still have a couple of years.
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Medium to dark garnet. Complex, floral, mineral nose with earthy aromas, red cherry and hints of liquorice. Medium to full bodied with tannins that have just started to soften, round, balanced and just entering its phase of tertiary complexity. Long aftertaste. Lovely and absolutely enjoyable with a long life ahead.
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Purchased as Binny's after a tasting with the King, one of the wine highlights of my life. Angelo signed the bottle. A chameleon bottle, Italian, or not, Cali coast Pinot, or not. Earth, blackberry and leather nose. Plenty of caressing tannin, saddle leather, blackberry, earth and a certain je me said quoi. A real treat, may go longer but...why. From 750, very good st
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wine of the night at Osteria Langhe fruit and earth in harmony savored with some simple buttered homemade pasta and white truffles remembered gaja's story about traveling in spain with a green door and a beautiful woman he told at wine spectator a few years ago
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Lovely medium garnet color, nice depth of color and viscosity. 14% ABV very well integrated and balanced. Decanted at 9am re-bottled and transported 2 hours to have for lunch. Nose was fragrant with red and black fruit, a touch of smokiness, some pepper, rose petals, licorice and a little cedar. Nose continued to improve and get richer for hours until the last drop. Flavor profile reflected the nose. Great rich mouth feel and moderately long aftertaste finishing with a nice black plum flavor. A touch better than my last bottle and probably at its peak for the next several years.
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C’est la seconde fois que j’ai la chance de boire ce superbe vin du Piémont. Un vin joliment constitué et mettant en valeur la richesse du Nebbiolo! Un vin harmonieux qui vieillit bien en développant des arômes tertiaires agréables au nez avec ses notes de cerise noire, menthol, goudron et pruneau. La bouche est expressive avec une belle acidité appuyée par des tannins encore bien étoffés mais d’une finesse savoureuse. Un vin bien structuré qui se consomme dans le plus grand plaisir de la dégustation avec une finale qui s’étire en longueur.
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This is just starting to come into it's window. Decanted and drank over a few hours. Still brilliant cherry color with little bricking just at the edge. Great dark fruits and a slight tar/menthol touch. Very smooth lengthy finish with integrated tannins. Much more ready that when I had first bottle a couple of years back. This was great all evening and won't be going anywhere but up for several years.
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Powerful, complex nose that is perfectly developed delivering exotic spices, herbs, tobacco, some leather and barnyard. But there is also a softness with nuts, flowers and raspberries. Very appealing. There are hints of more mature notes of meat stock. Incredibly harmonius and well-structured, fullish body. Balanced, powerful and slender at the same time. Nutty oakiness, a perfect mix of red and dark berries, sandy minerals and absolutely lovely cherries. And underneath: a toughness. Very good length. WOTN. Drinking perfect now and years ahead!
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So here's a lesson. If you're doing a blind tasting and you sandwich a bunch of good to very good barbarescos in between a great flight of 01 Burgundies and another bunch of very good 10-12 year old Barolos, the barbarescos won't stand up to the competition. They are all about acidity and potentially about food pairing but they lack the generosity of bouquet and the flowery, earthy flavors in the good examples of the other two wines. In this one, a lower level but not inexpensive Gaja, the acidity and tartness overwhelms the fruit. Not for the faint of heart, or palate. Also not very good qpr. I won't go back for more of these.
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I love Gaja wines (who doesn’t) , and I was surprised this did not show more. It’s a great vintage and a great producer and a great wine. But sometimes this does not help to reach all the way. Still, at 92 points we are talking extremely high class wine here!! Well, I guess that this was squeezed in together with/between a Gaja Sperss 2004 and a Monfortino 2000 did not help this, slightly less powerful wine to stand out the way expected. Still, lovely, with beautiful soft fruit. A bit feminine in style, and really on the light side for a Nebbiolo.
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Wow what a wonderful nose at first and the flavors exploded in your mouth. Initially tannic but after about 3 hours it tamed and was soft and supple. Flavors of Blueberry and earth and plum were apparent. The attack was powerful but the only disappointment was the aftertaste which lingered hardly at all. Very well balanced but the only thing lacking was complexity on the finish. It went great with the dry, aged NY strip we had. It was very good but I wished for more in the finish. I have the 2001 Sori san Lorenzo as well and hope for a bit more from that one in the future.
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Out of half bottle. More seamless and refined now. Coarsness dropped away. Dark cherry and big, not too ripe. Still young, but more integrated. Melded perfectly with a steak.
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Once again the ‘Old World’ Brother in Law insisted and once again this wine is too young. It was at its best on day two when the richness, texture and length were excellent. Wonderful but maybe a bit too modern. I’m just sayin’.
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Opened from half bottle with little breathe time. It's fun to drink wines back to back that couldn't be more different in styles but thoroughly enjoy each. Brick red color with aromas of underbrush, strawberries, tobacco, minerals, and tar. Very structured with ample acid and tannin with just enough pure fruit and richness to do a decent job of balancing out the wine. A gripping and powerful finish leave me with the thought that this wine has 20 years left, easy. 92pts
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huh? i read all the glowing notes on this wine, and then i see the 75 pointer from last year. yeah, my bottle, my house. well, tonight the wine isn't undrinkable as it was then, but it's a muddled soup of oak and tannin that hardly is balanced with fruit (or even a hint of the fruit hiding/ closed down). sorry, fellow trackers, this wine is a clunker for me.
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Nebbiolo & Co from Gaja, with Gaia Gaja.: Red to brown color. Sweet floral aroma with hints of tar. More developed than the 2004 with partly integrated oak. Quite noticeable tannins. Balanced. Good, strong mouthfeel. Nice wine!
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Ruby red color. Medium tight nose of black cherry fruit. Nice enough on the palate. Medium bodied with some good stuffing and complexity. I was hoping for more based on cost/fame. Good, not profound.
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Confraria - jantar de final de ano (Piselli): Provado duplamente às cegas. Garrafa n. 04. Rubi aberto, límpido e brilhante. Nariz muito fino e complexo, notas florais marcantes, seguidas por chocolate ao leite, liquirizia e um toque de couro. Mais para profundidade do que para intensidade. Com o tempo surgiu uma leve nota de estrebaria que não se sobrepôs e casou bem com os outros aromas. Grande estrutura, sedoso e com boa acidez. Extremamente longo. Tem potencial para evoluir mas já muito agradável. Excepcional.
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Medium light purple color. Nose is very expressive, offering flowers and a core of tar and red fruits. the type of wine you can smell all night long. In the palate, this wine is still quite tannic and lacking mid palate sweetness, but overall remians attractive. This was the best of the two Nebbiolo based wines.
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At a Gaja tasting, this one was my favourite although I gave it the same overall score as the 2001 Sori Tildin.
The color was a deep ruby black in the middle but still transparent and a little lighter than the 01 Sori Tildin. The nose was spicy with some cloves, cinnamon and balsamic notes and rose and violet floral scents. In the mouth it was acidic and tannic but fruity as well with cherries and red currants showing through the structure. This is a very young wine that already is showing great promise and will drink better and better for years to come.
50+5+13+16+9=93
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Angelo Gaja at ABS-SP (ABS-SP): 100% nebbiolo from 14 vineyards around the village of Barbaresco, Cuneo province. Muted nose at first and didn´t change much throughout the tasting. This wine is not made to be drank apart from food. The hard young tannins and crisp acidity demand food and it is still way too young. Has a long live ahead but already shows much finess and elegance.
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Paler in colour than the other Barbarescos in the flight. Nose: good varietal aromas, sweet and floral and a little balsamic. Palate: full and weighty, high alcohol, high acidity, big astringent tannins, spicy. Great length and complexity and very elegant in spite of its powerful makeup. Will improve for the next decade or longer.
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The brother in law wanted to buy two bottles of Gaja at the Palm Springs CostCo (please refer to earlier rant) this morning and, while I tried to talk him out of it, here I am tonight tasting this wonderful wine. OK, so I really didn’t try that hard.
Right out of the bottle this had intense flowers on the nose along with bright, concentrated raspberry and earthy, leathery elements. The palate was silky and subtle with layers of fruit, earth, cinnamon spices, and stones. The finish was long and elegant with smooth firm tannins, lingering plum fruit, and spicy vanilla.
Truly evaluating this wine is far beyond my experience but I can say with conviction that this is seriously delicious and sophisticated stuff.
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It has the classic Nebbiolo nose of roses and tar, with a bit more sweetness. This wine has intense fruit with great structure. A little closed at first, after a few hours it began to open and show its true greatness. It was paired with ravioli stuffed with pork, veal, and rabbit braised with Barbaresco, along with Swiss chard, and garnished with white truffles shavings.
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Garagiste 2001 Gaja Tasting (Garagiste Warehouse, Seattle, WA): Dark red, with penetrating light. Nose a little closed. Difficult to pick out, but aromas of darker plums and cherries. Finish a bit shorter than others. Seemed to be a wine well suited for food with excellent acidity.
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Gaja tasting at Garagiste: First taste that would become a trend. 6hrs double decanted, and this was still very tight and tannic. I could sneak out brief peak at the plummy fruit.
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Gaja Winemaker's Dinner (Four Seasons, NYC): So young. Concentrated. Felt unbalanced without food; smoke, licorice, tannins. The lamb tempered the size of the wine and revealed its potential. The 1989 was preferred almost unanimously at the table. however the majority saw great potential in the 2001. I believe that this vintage will be a good investment for the future. Interestingly , Angelo Gaja stated that after this run of great vintages, they have sold all of their crop from 2002 and will likely sell all of their 2003 crop. (92-95)
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4/18/2024 - cephomer Likes this wine: 92 Points
Drank last nite at the Czech embassy with our make-shift Cepages group. Decanted at the table for an hour before drinking, and this wine really needed it. Nose similar to prior tastings, with good aromas of roses, tar and herbs. Black fruit is prominent, and the wine surprisingly remains quite tannic, particularly noticeable up front. There's tar with some herbal and savory notes, and the wine seems bigger, chunkier than I recall. Balance would prob be my biggest complaint on this occasion, or lack thereof, due to the tannic nature of this particular bottle. I would decant for a longer period next time around
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10/17/2023 - LB88 wrote: 93 Points
Great wine, beautiful nose cassis, blueberries, graphite, blackberries and spices on the palate. The 1998 was the most ready the 2001 had the most potential the 1999 was good and more ready than the 2001. The consistency was clearly there across. This was as good if not better than the costa russi 99 and 04 across the board. Perhaps costa russi needs more time?
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7/3/2023 - Cailles wrote: 95 Points
No notes taken. Highly intense nose full of tar and roses, menthol and herbs. Dark fruit. Well defined. On the palate so round and smooth, full of fine red berries, tar, roses, herbs, crushed rocks. Complex, precise, elegant, airy with lots of intensity and very harmonious. A quintessential Barbaresco with all the telltale aromas and the fine structure and necessary textural depth.
Decanting: At first, I thought this might be over the hill but all that musty and soy aromas blew off with a bit of air. The wine got actually fresher, so some decanting is advised.
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12/25/2022 - ofrasca wrote: 85 Points
Should have had it earlier....seems over
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11/13/2022 - cephomer Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drank at Savona in Hudson. No decant, tho could've used it. Color showing some age, bricking in the glass. Cork was a bit wet, but no worries. Nose of roses and tar. Medium body, still plenty of red cherry fruit, somewhat earthy and a lot of tar and spice. Notes of cedar too. Tannins still there but softening. Excellent complexity, ultra-long finish. Powerful wine, but still elegant. Really delicious and holding up nicely. Went great with our Italian food.
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10/9/2022 - JoeDwine Likes this wine: 93 Points
With Sundried Tomato/Mild Sausage Pizza
Crimson and starting to slightly brick.
Licorice, muted mint and scorched earth,bell pepper.
A little hot on the nose at open. Good acidity.
30 minutes in BBC and red fruits starts to come out from hiding. Some nuts as well and alcohol blowing off.
Spices and muted dark chocolate, tar coming through.
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9/29/2022 - Paul D wrote: 90 Points
Quite rich a d ripe on the nose, strawberry fruit, vanilla oak. Medium bodied, lovely pure red fruit, touch of cedar and spice, fresh acids, good length harmonious finish.
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4/19/2022 - Neecies Likes this wine:
A-M's bottle. Concerns caused by the moldy wet cork did not materialize in damage to the wine, thank god. Brick red color with everything you hope for: cherries, tar, spice, rose petals, and more tar. Endless finish. So many great wines this night, but this is the one that made me swoon. Exquisite.
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1/8/2022 - Buick455 wrote: 92 Points
Decanted 1 hour. Color was opaque dark brick red. Edge a of brown'ish. Nose of cherries, spice. Palate was cherries, tar, spice. Long Finish. Rosehip, cherry and tar.
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11/24/2021 - VINNICK Likes this wine: 92 Points
It’s a lovely wine. The usual fare for Gaja. That said, not worth the price people are asking for the aging factor. Too tannic and not concentrated enough. Good wine but no wow factor here.
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2/24/2021 - sburtt wrote: 89 Points
quite disappointing I must say. Bottle perfectly stored, but after 20 years its' like the wine has passed out, nebbiolo is hardly felt compared to the scents of the wooden cask.. disjointed tannin, nothing really special and sub average wine imho, really don't get the hype here
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12/24/2020 - Ralphie1 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Really improved after two hour decant
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12/14/2020 - Ltim BE Likes this wine: 95 Points
Sadly my last bottle. What a wine !! At its peak and soo amazing.
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9/13/2020 - Stefanos T. Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excellent wine, at peak of maturity for me.
Typical nose with balsamic aromas, olive brine and herbs. Very clean.
Palate was otherwordly, silky smooth despite the weight of the wine.
Firm structure with impeccable tannins. Immensely drinkable!
Long aftertaste.
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3/7/2020 - HowardNZ Likes this wine: 94 Points
Rauno and Adithi's Valentine's Day Dinner (Wellington, NZ): Two Piemontese wines served blind as a pair to finish. Decanted about five hours before serving, which seemed about right. Deep, dark colour. Also a dark nose: tar, black earth, black cherries and other dark fruit and brown spices. There was a lift to the bouquet but it was more dry herbs - or sottobosco - than floral. On palate, a broad, structured Piemontese, drinking much less than 19 years of age. Earthy with creosote, cherries, tartufi neri, porcini and sottobosco, old leather and black liquorice. Obviously a Gaja - the Gaja signature style was clear - but not really expressing Barbaresco, as opposed to say Serralunga, terroir. Sturdy but relatively fine grained tannins. Good fresh acidity and excellent length. Drinking well on the night but I'm sure properly cellared bottles will continue to evolve positively for 10+ more years.
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1/25/2020 - Ltim BE Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow wow what a wine, this is simply stunning. A quick decant and this wine sings, soo complex, sooo full and yet smooth and refined. The previous bottle we had was opened in 2013 (92p). This wine is at its peak and not going down anytime soon. Pure class. Sadly only one bottle left.
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1/23/2020 - SinawoyCellars Likes this wine: 96 Points
In a phenomenal spot right now. Has everything. Can wait, but if you've got a few, give it a check in!
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11/10/2019 - casoe Likes this wine: 95 Points
Cherry, roses, licorice and a lot of floral in the nose. Balanced and polished and difficult not to like if you love nebbiolo. But drinks more like a 2013 than a 2001, will certainly not touch my last bottle in the near future.
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10/11/2019 - Argrath wrote: 95 Points
(Blind tasting)
Full, deep and complex nose. Rubber, tar and spice. Minerals and crushed stones. Very multi-layered with depths of nuts, dark cherries and roses. Splendid!
Extremely balanced palate between lushness, polished tannins and fantastic fresh grip. Rich, majestic, elegant. Rosehip, cherry and tar. So clean and a fantastic Nebbiolo expression. Soo beautiful! Will deliver splendid drinkability for at least 5-10 more yrs.
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6/2/2019 - Som-Geo Likes this wine: 95 Points
Classic tar and roses, soft tannins and gorgeous mouthfeel. Finish goes on and on. Herbs, tobacco, new leather and baking spices. Took 45-60 mins to open then singing. Wish I had more of these to enjoy!!
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4/11/2019 - osordal Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 3-4 hours. Very nice colour. Very expressive on the nose with beautiful sour cherry, roses and flowers. Some leather and truffle. Still lively on the palate and good length. Handles the ribeye and mushroom sauce. Maybe the ending is a bit short, but a beautiful expression of Nebbiolo. Probably at its peak
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4/3/2019 - Dmax808 wrote: 97 Points
I was beginning to think I didn't care for nebbiolo and then I drank THIS! For me, this "modernist" style of Barbaresco had just the right balance of everything. Such an expressive nose, so pretty with nice round fruit and well integrated tannins. So complex.
I'll have to revisit more of Piemonte. I wish they could all be like this at a fraction of the price!
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1/4/2019 - Dave Canada wrote: 92 Points
Drank at Loy Stuben in Bad Kleinkircheim. Note from memory
This is ready to go....no need to wait.
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12/28/2018 - mpricher wrote: 90 Points
Bought this one from Kroger at a significant discount as they were rebuilding their indoor cellar. Was worth trying a true Gaja. That said, it’s not really my cup of tea. Loads of barnyard and farm fields on the nose.. opened up after hour decant and continued to open over couple hours. The fruit was mixed with dried meat and herbs. Second day it tasted a bit better. I can tell this is well made, but had more of a sticky cheese vibe than other Barbareaco’s I’ve tried.
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9/1/2018 - dresden wrote: 95 Points
Great wine. Tannins resolved, mild bricking, great length. Not as good as my 1996 that I had in 2007, but close.
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6/26/2018 - Andybe Likes this wine: 94 Points
Super classic ! Don’t wait to long..
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5/17/2018 - ve23 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Nebbiolo night on 17 May 2018 (Winil, Moscow): 96/100
What a bomb of a nose, with paint and lacquer, ripe juicy black and red berries, licorice, tar, the whole nine yards. Extractive, but without heaviness or the well-too-often-feeling of overly made up wine. Just brilliant.
On the palate is neat and balanced, with a polished, round tannin, length is somewhat shorter than Mascarello, but no less beautiful.
Modernist or no modernist, I’m loving it. With wines of his home terroir, Gaja remains a total blockbuster.
Nebbiolo night at Winil / 17 May 2018
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3/31/2018 - Blake Brown Likes this wine:
2001 GAJA BARBARESCO- one of my favs of all Barbarescos, this was great as usual; youthful, exciting, highly energetic and soooo pleasing on the palate; first, there was a veggie, bell pepper note in the nose, but that was overwhelmed by amazing flavours of black cherry first and foremost and then a touch of plum, baking spices and liquorice came in to complete the deal; it was smooth and lush, full bodied and long; such a treat.
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12/24/2017 - oldwines Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted at about 4pm and enjoyed from 7-9 pm, best at the end of the span . Lovely, bright, translucent medium garnet color with little sign of age on the rim. Slightly smokey nose with red fruit, lavender, cedar and anise. Tannin almost fully integrated but still detectable. Mostly smooth and elegant mouthfeel. Balanced flavors in layers with plum, cherry, minerals, cedar, anise and light spice on the finish which lasted a good 45+ seconds. Sadly my last bottle of this....but fortunately several 2001 Sori San Lorenzo remain...
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12/8/2017 - retired_and_roving wrote:
This followed directly on the heels of the '10 Clos Rougeard Le Bourg, so a bit of a tough transition for the palate. Seemed quite lean and almost astringent in comparison initially and took me a bit to adjust. Not a lot of fruit noticeable here, more earth and leather and acid. Clearly improves for me when paired with the pizza, but generally did not wow me.
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10/1/2017 - Markus IWC wrote: 95 Points
Battle of Barbaresco, cooperative Produttori against Gaja, the king of Barbaresco. Vintages 85, 90 and 01 tasted against each other. Only bottle with documented provenance, comes directly from the Gaja cellars. Fresh and powerful fruit, perfect maturity, orange rim, lovely balance, clean and pure. Amazing wine, so beautiful. Develops constantly in the glass and gains complexity and delicacy, sadly only had one hour this time. Tasted this a few months ago, see previous notes for more detailed review. 95p
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9/5/2017 - Sundbyberg wrote: 90 Points
Tasting: This did not impress. Like an average barolo/barbaresco.
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7/26/2017 - Andre Brattland wrote: 96 Points
En transparent, ekstremt klar farge av granateple, med et snev av en orange kant, men vinen ser latterlig ung ut! Wow! En presis og høy intens elegant frøken setter seg fast i nesen. Skarphet, men på den delikate siden. Spiss rød frukt med kirsebær starter showet, men går rask over i roser, urter, jordlig preg og lett treflis. Nydelig aroma, men frukten kunne kanskje ha vært litt tydeligere utover luktbildet.
Aaah, en uhyre kremete og fløyelsesrik masse leker og danser rundt i munnen. Ikke en heftig konsentrasjon, men særdeles eleganse med en bred harmonisk munnfølelse der godt integrerte tanniner, høy syre, og frukt er i en virkelig god balanse. Her er det litt tyngre røde og sorte bær, med bjørnebær og modne kirsebær i hovedrollen. Etterhvert også lett jord og lærpreg som til sammen får alle nerver i kroppen til å spenne seg i en særdeles uforglemmelig utgang. Fantastisk! En herlig vin som drikker nydelig nå!
Spørsmålet er om frukten vil vare i ti-år framover, og om vinen mangler kanskje litt kompleksitet i form av flere lag, men jeg nå tror jeg bare prøver å finne feil. Jeg er neimen ikke sikker på om hans CRU-viner i 2001 er bedre enn dette… Lykkelig!
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7/9/2017 - Tikkanen Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very good. Typical Barbaresco. Need a bit of more time in cellar but not much. The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are slow. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like cinnamon, tobacco, cherry, mineral and rose. It tastes like blackberry, rose, cherry and cinnamon. The body is medium. The wine has round texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has high acidity.
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6/25/2017 - mike l. Likes this wine: 96 Points
wine of the night in a star studded line up.
3 plus hour decant. improved as it warmed up from cellar temp. just ripe enough on the palate and tannins are still present (how i prefer my reds) but tame enough to get some very high quality fruit. great long finish.
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6/20/2017 - Rezy13 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lee's 40th $80+ Double Blind (Roswell, GA): See through ruby, pale rim; pretty floral, very nice nose, cinnamon, earth, mineral, spicy, crystalline purity, slight sandalwood; very fine tannin, elegant, refined, penetrating, lozenge finish; gorgeous, was on younger Monprivato, very little oak signature at all, continued to put on weight with air but we drank it too soon; my WOTN.
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4/27/2017 - AMRS wrote: 91 Points
Nice red fruit and some black cherry nose. On the palate still tight, red & black fruit, very nice but not great now. I will give this one 4-5 years to start showing more of the terroir, but all in all not up to the hype of price now. Drink now-2025, 91 point, potentially 2 points more.
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4/12/2017 - bboysteff Likes this wine: 95 Points
As of April 2017, from color nose and tannins, I believe it could easily go another year or two. Decanted for an hour before tasting. Color was clear on edges giving way to a nice deep brick red. Nose of dark fruit and licorice. Taste in the beginning was strong raspberry, which later gave way to a touch of leather, black cherry and a bit of tobacco. Last glass the raspberry was back riding on firm tobacco and licorice.
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2/25/2017 - steinersing wrote: 93 Points
fine and elegant - still a bit tight, sense of layering
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2/10/2017 - grafighter Likes this wine: 95 Points
Slow ox'ed for 2 hours then taken to Angelini Osteria. Perfect drinking stage. Fruit and tannins are just starting to fade. Aroma poured over the table when uncorked in the restaurant. Smell even better in the glass. Pallette and nose got better as it got more air throughout dinner.
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10/17/2016 - HowardNZ Likes this wine: 94 Points
Double decanted four hours early. Very dark colour. Aromas of black truffle, black plums and dark cherries, high cacao chocolate, tar and old rose perfume. In the mouth, a beautiful, rich and deep wine. Creosote, dark berries, liquorice and tartufi neri. A huge fruit volume and architecture with lots of power. Good acidity, fine grained tannins and a long, savoury finish. The next day, the last glass had a more subdued nose of old leather and tobacco leaf and a more evolved, savoury palate of red fruit and dry brushwood. Give the wine a 6+ hour decant. Drinking well now but years ahead of it, of course.
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9/10/2016 - exawb Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted and smelled great cherry and strawberry nose. Still good spice and structure. Not too heavy, long finish. Probably drinking at its best but might still have a couple of years.
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5/31/2016 - FamilyLarsson wrote: 93 Points
Underbar doft med rosor, skogsmark, tryffel. Silkiga tanniner och elegant textur med väldigt fin balans
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4/14/2016 - Yiannis wrote: 94 Points
Medium to dark garnet. Complex, floral, mineral nose with earthy aromas, red cherry and hints of liquorice. Medium to full bodied with tannins that have just started to soften, round, balanced and just entering its phase of tertiary complexity. Long aftertaste. Lovely and absolutely enjoyable with a long life ahead.
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2/15/2016 - pdemaio wrote: 95 Points
Big and powerful. Drinking well already from this half bottle. Just a lovely, elegant red with great approach, mid palate, and finish.
PDQ95
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2/13/2016 - guitarguy wrote: 94 Points
Purchased as Binny's after a tasting with the King, one of the wine highlights of my life. Angelo signed the bottle. A chameleon bottle, Italian, or not, Cali coast Pinot, or not. Earth, blackberry and leather nose. Plenty of caressing tannin, saddle leather, blackberry, earth and a certain je me said quoi. A real treat, may go longer but...why. From 750, very good st
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12/1/2015 - astroman Likes this wine:
Dinner with Angelo Gaja (Singapore): Plummy tar with some violet notes, mushroom. Tannins at the back. Dense and layered palate. Amazing stuff.
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10/11/2015 - bugdoced Likes this wine: 97 Points
wine of the night at Osteria Langhe
fruit and earth in harmony
savored with some simple buttered homemade pasta and white truffles
remembered gaja's story about traveling in spain with a green door and a beautiful woman he told at wine spectator a few years ago
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9/23/2015 - DrZett Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow, amazing wine in the best drinking condition right now! Superb!
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9/4/2015 - phellstrand Likes this wine: 93 Points
Huge fruit nose and complex
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8/27/2015 - mygrogro wrote: 91 Points
solid Barbaresco
forward spice and young berry
enjoyable on its own
no food needed
enjoy
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7/24/2015 - oldwines Likes this wine: 95 Points
Lovely medium garnet color, nice depth of color and viscosity. 14% ABV very well integrated and balanced. Decanted at 9am re-bottled and transported 2 hours to have for lunch. Nose was fragrant with red and black fruit, a touch of smokiness, some pepper, rose petals, licorice and a little cedar. Nose continued to improve and get richer for hours until the last drop. Flavor profile reflected the nose. Great rich mouth feel and moderately long aftertaste finishing with a nice black plum flavor. A touch better than my last bottle and probably at its peak for the next several years.
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5/6/2015 - Tire-bouchon Griffin Likes this wine: 97 Points
C’est la seconde fois que j’ai la chance de boire ce superbe vin du Piémont. Un vin joliment constitué et mettant en valeur la richesse du Nebbiolo! Un vin harmonieux qui vieillit bien en développant des arômes tertiaires agréables au nez avec ses notes de cerise noire, menthol, goudron et pruneau. La bouche est expressive avec une belle acidité appuyée par des tannins encore bien étoffés mais d’une finesse savoureuse. Un vin bien structuré qui se consomme dans le plus grand plaisir de la dégustation avec une finale qui s’étire en longueur.
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3/13/2015 - portman63 Likes this wine: 94 Points
This is just starting to come into it's window. Decanted and drank over a few hours. Still brilliant cherry color with little bricking just at the edge. Great dark fruits and a slight tar/menthol touch. Very smooth lengthy finish with integrated tannins. Much more ready that when I had first bottle a couple of years back. This was great all evening and won't be going anywhere but up for several years.
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12/28/2013 - WDSteers wrote: 92 Points
tobacco, tar, cherry, pine. finish not that long
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8/27/2013 - nwa2280 wrote: 93 Points
Good but still much too young. Tannic and better with beef. Opened 3 hours early and decanted. Last bottle too. Doh!
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12/11/2012 - bonedocnine wrote: 94 Points
Typicity defined. Very lovely which exemplifies this wine at 11 years of age from a 375ml
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11/15/2012 - Argrath wrote: 95 Points
Powerful, complex nose that is perfectly developed delivering exotic spices, herbs, tobacco, some leather and barnyard. But there is also a softness with nuts, flowers and raspberries. Very appealing. There are hints of more mature notes of meat stock.
Incredibly harmonius and well-structured, fullish body. Balanced, powerful and slender at the same time. Nutty oakiness, a perfect mix of red and dark berries, sandy minerals and absolutely lovely cherries. And underneath: a toughness. Very good length. WOTN.
Drinking perfect now and years ahead!
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11/2/2012 - Margauxguy wrote: 96 Points
Stunning, supple, elegant, powerful round smooth, I can't sy enough. Truffle, dark red fruits, a beguiling hint of citrus. Out of a half bottle
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5/13/2012 - Topper wrote: 88 Points
So here's a lesson. If you're doing a blind tasting and you sandwich a bunch of good to very good barbarescos in between a great flight of 01 Burgundies and another bunch of very good 10-12 year old Barolos, the barbarescos won't stand up to the competition. They are all about acidity and potentially about food pairing but they lack the generosity of bouquet and the flowery, earthy flavors in the good examples of the other two wines. In this one, a lower level but not inexpensive Gaja, the acidity and tartness overwhelms the fruit. Not for the faint of heart, or palate. Also not very good qpr. I won't go back for more of these.
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2/28/2012 - St Paul wrote: 94 Points
Very fine with an elegant fresh style. Truffle, orange and red berries.
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2/27/2012 - Ramberg wrote: 92 Points
I love Gaja wines (who doesn’t) , and I was surprised this did not show more.
It’s a great vintage and a great producer and a great wine.
But sometimes this does not help to reach all the way.
Still, at 92 points we are talking extremely high class wine here!!
Well, I guess that this was squeezed in together with/between a Gaja Sperss 2004 and a Monfortino 2000 did not help this, slightly less powerful wine to stand out the way expected.
Still, lovely, with beautiful soft fruit.
A bit feminine in style, and really on the light side for a Nebbiolo.
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11/14/2011 - mygrogro wrote: 89 Points
Very tart and tannic still, needed 2hrs of decanting, not the best of showings.
perhaps a few more years of aging.
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9/24/2011 - bonedocnine wrote: 91 Points
This bottle was getting a little tired.
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7/30/2011 - oldwines wrote: 94 Points
Wow what a wonderful nose at first and the flavors exploded in your mouth. Initially tannic but after about 3 hours it tamed and was soft and supple. Flavors of Blueberry and earth and plum were apparent. The attack was powerful but the only disappointment was the aftertaste which lingered hardly at all. Very well balanced but the only thing lacking was complexity on the finish. It went great with the dry, aged NY strip we had. It was very good but I wished for more in the finish. I have the 2001 Sori san Lorenzo as well and hope for a bit more from that one in the future.
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2/20/2011 - unrelenting wrote: 96 Points
unbelieveable complexity, perfect balance -- dominant acidity, 1 min finish. Totally underrated...then again, I don't drink 12 year old Gaja often
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2/14/2011 - Margauxguy wrote: 93 Points
Out of half bottle. More seamless and refined now. Coarsness dropped away. Dark cherry and big, not too ripe. Still young, but more integrated. Melded perfectly with a steak.
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1/29/2011 - Gaucho Wino wrote: 97 Points
Incredible wine...seamless, light on its feet, long finish.
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11/24/2010 - daipayan wrote: 92 Points
Took a while to open...but great when it finally did. Lots of tannins at start.
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11/7/2010 - bonedocnine wrote: 91 Points
Nice wine with complexities you would expect from Gaja. From 375ml bottle.
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9/18/2010 - Laguna Red wrote: 91 Points
Still way too young. Give it at least 2 hours before even trying it.
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12/29/2009 - greenblanket wrote:
Once again the ‘Old World’ Brother in Law insisted and once again this wine is too young. It was at its best on day two when the richness, texture and length were excellent. Wonderful but maybe a bit too modern. I’m just sayin’.
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9/19/2009 - Margauxguy wrote: 92 Points
good, if a bit rough yet, very complete and needed lots of air, just had a good wine to young
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5/20/2009 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Occasional tasting group: Just training our blind tasting skills. (@ PVa): Complete wine. A lot of tannin and good acidity and behind it black fruits, chocolate, cedar, little pleasant barnyard, etc. etc. Wait for a few years or give it enough air.
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4/6/2009 - Jared wrote: 92 Points
Opened from half bottle with little breathe time. It's fun to drink wines back to back that couldn't be more different in styles but thoroughly enjoy each. Brick red color with aromas of underbrush, strawberries, tobacco, minerals, and tar. Very structured with ample acid and tannin with just enough pure fruit and richness to do a decent job of balancing out the wine. A gripping and powerful finish leave me with the thought that this wine has 20 years left, easy. 92pts
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11/24/2008 - LeechDogg wrote: 89 Points
Nice wine, not very colorful, but tannic. Slight brett on finish, but understated.
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7/3/2008 - jeff nowak wrote: 84 Points
huh? i read all the glowing notes on this wine, and then i see the 75 pointer from last year. yeah, my bottle, my house. well, tonight the wine isn't undrinkable as it was then, but it's a muddled soup of oak and tannin that hardly is balanced with fruit (or even a hint of the fruit hiding/ closed down). sorry, fellow trackers, this wine is a clunker for me.
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3/10/2008 - arijus wrote:
Nebbiolo & Co from Gaja, with Gaia Gaja.: Red to brown color. Sweet floral aroma with hints of tar. More developed than the 2004 with partly integrated oak. Quite noticeable tannins. Balanced. Good, strong mouthfeel. Nice wine!
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12/29/2007 - winefool wrote: 93 Points
Ruby red color. Medium tight nose of black cherry fruit. Nice enough on the palate. Medium bodied with some good stuffing and complexity. I was hoping for more based on cost/fame. Good, not profound.
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12/19/2007 - losvinhos wrote: 95 Points
Jantar da confraria -Encerramento 2007. (Piselli): Muita pureza, elegância e finesse aliadas à boa concentração de fruta, grande acidez, estrutura e complexidade. Excepcional
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12/19/2007 - Vinho wrote: 94 Points
Confraria - jantar de final de ano (Piselli): Provado duplamente às cegas. Garrafa n. 04.
Rubi aberto, límpido e brilhante. Nariz muito fino e complexo, notas florais marcantes, seguidas por chocolate ao leite, liquirizia e um toque de couro. Mais para profundidade do que para intensidade. Com o tempo surgiu uma leve nota de estrebaria que não se sobrepôs e casou bem com os outros aromas. Grande estrutura, sedoso e com boa acidez. Extremamente longo. Tem potencial para evoluir mas já muito agradável. Excepcional.
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11/23/2007 - ChinonRouge wrote: 93 Points
Really nice wine. Supple tannins with long finish. Price is a little high though.
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10/15/2007 - hcampana wrote: 92 Points
Gaja tasting with Gaia Gaja (Monterrey, Mexico): Had at tasting with Gaia Gaja in Monterrey.
Medium light purple color. Nose is very expressive, offering flowers and a core of tar and red fruits. the type of wine you can smell all night long. In the palate, this wine is still quite tannic and lacking mid palate sweetness, but overall remians attractive. This was the best of the two Nebbiolo based wines.
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3/13/2007 - mattiasjansson wrote: 75 Points
Blind Night - Jeff Nowak's (Jeff Nowak's house): Acid. Bitter, tart finish. Disappointing. (Double-blind - Jeff's bottle.)
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11/11/2006 - Tad GW wrote: 93 Points
At a Gaja tasting, this one was my favourite although I gave it the same overall score as the 2001 Sori Tildin.
The color was a deep ruby black in the middle but still transparent and a little lighter than the 01 Sori Tildin. The nose was spicy with some cloves, cinnamon and balsamic notes and rose and violet floral scents. In the mouth it was acidic and tannic but fruity as well with cherries and red currants showing through the structure. This is a very young wine that already is showing great promise and will drink better and better for years to come.
50+5+13+16+9=93
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5/3/2006 - cousteau wrote: 90 Points
Angelo Gaja at ABS-SP (ABS-SP): 100% nebbiolo from 14 vineyards around the village of Barbaresco, Cuneo province. Muted nose at first and didn´t change much throughout the tasting. This wine is not made to be drank apart from food. The hard young tannins and crisp acidity demand food and it is still way too young. Has a long live ahead but already shows much finess and elegance.
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4/18/2006 - Barbara B wrote: 95 Points
Paler in colour than the other Barbarescos in the flight. Nose: good varietal aromas, sweet and floral and a little balsamic. Palate: full and weighty, high alcohol, high acidity, big astringent tannins, spicy. Great length and complexity and very elegant in spite of its powerful makeup. Will improve for the next decade or longer.
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4/15/2006 - greenblanket wrote: 94 Points
The brother in law wanted to buy two bottles of Gaja at the Palm Springs CostCo (please refer to earlier rant) this morning and, while I tried to talk him out of it, here I am tonight tasting this wonderful wine. OK, so I really didn’t try that hard.
Right out of the bottle this had intense flowers on the nose along with bright, concentrated raspberry and earthy, leathery elements. The palate was silky and subtle with layers of fruit, earth, cinnamon spices, and stones. The finish was long and elegant with smooth firm tannins, lingering plum fruit, and spicy vanilla.
Truly evaluating this wine is far beyond my experience but I can say with conviction that this is seriously delicious and sophisticated stuff.
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10/28/2005 - jwgauthier wrote: 93 Points
It has the classic Nebbiolo nose of roses and tar, with a bit more sweetness. This wine has intense fruit with great structure. A little closed at first, after a few hours it began to open and show its true greatness. It was paired with ravioli stuffed with pork, veal, and rabbit braised with Barbaresco, along with Swiss chard, and garnished with white truffles shavings.
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5/14/2005 - Wusman wrote: 90 Points
Garagiste 2001 Gaja Tasting (Garagiste Warehouse, Seattle, WA): Dark red, with penetrating light. Nose a little closed. Difficult to pick out, but aromas of darker plums and cherries. Finish a bit shorter than others. Seemed to be a wine well suited for food with excellent acidity.
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5/14/2005 - lorenzo wrote: 92 Points
Gaja tasting at Garagiste: First taste that would become a trend. 6hrs double decanted, and this was still very tight and tannic. I could sneak out brief peak at the plummy fruit.
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4/19/2005 - 97mjr wrote: 92 Points
Gaja Winemaker's Dinner (Four Seasons, NYC): So young. Concentrated. Felt unbalanced without food; smoke, licorice, tannins. The lamb tempered the size of the wine and revealed its potential. The 1989 was preferred almost unanimously at the table. however the majority saw great potential in the 2001. I believe that this vintage will be a good investment for the future. Interestingly , Angelo Gaja stated that after this run of great vintages, they have sold all of their crop from 2002 and will likely sell all of their 2003 crop. (92-95)
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