Giacosa/ Gaja 1990s Comparison and Dinner

Ballaro - Highwood IL
Tasted Wednesday, November 9, 2016 by Burgundy Al with 567 views

Introduction

Great cross-section of Barolo and Barbaresco from Giacosa and Gaja from similar vintages, mostly from the late 1990s, so wines just entering their peak drinking windows.

Flight 1 - Whites / Sparklers to Start (3 Notes)

Flight 2 - Early/Mid 1990s (5 Notes)

  • 1990 Gaja Barolo Sperss 92 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Enticing spice and floral start. All black fruit, very ripe, very fresh for its age. Long, powerful throughout with a firm finish and a polished, modern style. Very pretty, just not very nuanced. Open 6-7 hours before serving.

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  • 1993 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba Flawed

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Corked.

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  • 1995 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Open and double decanted 7 hours before serving. Red cherry aromas and flavors with wonderful spice throughout. Acid and mineral textures add charm, with very elegant and soft tannins. Very graceful, even if not a powerhouse.

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  • 1997 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Conteisa 91 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

    Only open ~1 hour before serving, which certainly was not enough. Ripe, bold black fruit dominating everything, giving this a somewhat one-dimensional character. But very dense, powerful throughout, with a long finish. While I think this clearly needs more cellar time, I also didn't find it as texturally structured for the very long-term I expect from top Barolo.

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  • 1996 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Riserva Falletto di Serralunga d'Alba 96 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo

    Served blind as a bonus in the flight, but only open/decanted 30 minutes before serving. Dense and dark fruit aromas, but fun and open for business. Nothing brooding here, just great fruit, licorice, black pepper with floral notes. I was able to correctly identify the vintage range, that it was Giacosa (easy since it was clearly not Gaja) and its reserve level. Consistent with prior times tasted. Great now, with decades of good drinking going forward.

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Flight 3 - Late 1990s Giacosa (4 Notes)

Flight 4 - Late 1990s Gaja (4 Notes)

  • 1996 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sperss 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

    Very big, ripe and powerful. Dense and meaty with lots of black cherry start-to-finish. Seems fat to start, but acidity and supporting tannic structure emerge nicely middle to long finish. Open and decanted ~3 hours before serving.

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  • 1998 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sperss 90 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

    Open and decanted 2-3 hours before serving. Lots of black cherry, certainly very big, but much less of all the supporting material that makes great Barolo. Some people really loved this wine, while some of us found it fun but lacking in charm and nuance.

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  • 1998 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Costa Russi 92 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

    Similar to the 1998 Sperss in the next glass -youthful and somewhat monolithic, with hints of great potential. Rich red and black cherry with spice and vanilla. Very powerful and long. Open and decanted 4 hours before serving.

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  • 1998 Gaja Langhe Nebbiolo Sorì Tildìn 93 Points

    Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Langhe DOC

    By far my favorite of the three 1998 Gaja wines in the flight. Spice, licorice, red and black cherry aromas with subtle floral fun. Similar flavors with lots of elegance and textural balance. Less power than the others, but far more charm. Open and decanted almost three hours before serving.

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Flight 5 - Sweets to Finish (3 Notes)

  • 2003 Château Rieussec 89 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    Dried apricot and honeycomb. Good flavors but this comes across more simply as "sweet" than enticingly flavorful or nuanced.

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  • 2001 Château Rieussec 94 Points

    France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

    From 375 ml bottle. Dried apricot, creme brulee, nicely floral. Charming textures and lots of vibrant acidity. Still just a baby with many decades of improvement going forward.

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  • 1959 Antonio Ferrari Solaria Jonica Puglia IGT 95 Points

    Italy, Puglia, Puglia IGT

    A very eccentric wine that I truly enjoy. Figs and dates and roasted almonds with caramelized character and vanilla hints. seemingly weightless for a sweet wine. I find this so unique, charming and attention grabbing, probably liking it more than most people.

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