November 27, 2022 - Good matured Nebbiolo.
Needs 1 hr of air.
Slightly oxidated nose.
Raspberry and cherries on the palate.
September 19, 2018 - This final bottle in my cellar is great. This really is a beautiful piece of nebbiolo. Elegance of the highest order. The nose is roses and cherries and dried currants -- a pleasure. The palate is dark fruit, tobacco and good aciidity. After about 90 minutes some elegant tannins kick in and give a final kick.
April 22, 2018 - Like the bottle I had in 2017, an excellent expression of nebbiolo, even though I normally have a problem with any oak, but Gaja handles it with finesse and finally at a reasonable price.
December 9, 2017 - Decanted for sediment. Light to medium garnet color. Nose of mushroom consommé, with some dried cherry and woodsy notes. More earthy than fruit driven for sure. Similar flavors on the palate with a mix of earthy terroir and dried plum and balsamic notes. Good acidity with silky tannins and a nice finish. Really in a great spot right now. Wish I had bought more.
June 3, 2017 - Roses and earth and a bit of integrated oak on the nose. Big nose. Palate has substantial fruit (raspberry/blueberry combo, tasting like neither) and menthol. Significant acidity balancing the fruit, and substantial tannins that come in after about 45 minutes. Moderate finish. Not as complex as many of Gaja's wines, but quite enjoyable. Still is youngish, lots of life.
November 19, 2016 - Q4 - 2016 Tasting - Anything Goes Theme (New York, NY): #15 of 22 wines tasted double blind. Another mature wine on the heels of the '84 Dunn. The color is somewhat translucent with hints of browning. Higher acidity, good balance, more tertiary characteristic than fruit here - so not sure how much longer this will hold. However right now it was drinking really beautifully with a lovely finish. My call was aged Barolo again. Top quartile for me, and second quartile for the group with 7 pennies voted.
November 19, 2016 - Q4 2016 Wine Club (The Apt): Wine #15: Clearly well aged. Black cherry at first. The kindof wine that wants food around. Some leather. Faded a bit fast. Time to drink up! (7 pennies)
October 13, 2016 - A great Barbaresco nebbiolo blend with cab and merlot from the Langhe region by one of the absolute masters of the trade. This wine is drinking incredibly well right now and paired so so well with Giordano's Chicago style deep dish pizza that I had shipped in as an early b-day surprise for the wife. A great QPR wine at our acquisition price. Quite a bit of initial funk on the nose so will benefit from a short 30-60 minute decant but otherwise so soft and mature that you could also get around this simply by pre-pouring and swirling the 1st round of glasses and letting them sit for a while before digging in. By far the best and oldest nebbiolo / nebbiolo blend we have had, either Barolo or Barbaresco and it has given me a bit more respect and interest in that grape and those regions. Deep purple, soft mouth feel, medium - full bodied, very well balanced, bright acid all gone but still has enough structure left for proper cellaring into 2020+. Nose softer and more floral then expected with dark fruit and hints of black pepper, violet and lilac. Flavor profile complex with well controlled fruit, garrigue, coffee and chocolate with a progressive tobacco / cigar box note on a very lengthy beautiful finish. Highly recommend this wine - it is drinking beautifully right now.
November 25, 2014 - Blend: 35% Nebbiolo, 35% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. brick red, in color. cherry, raspberry, earth, spice, pepper, chocolate, on the nose. long finish.
August 3, 2014 - - Garnet color with fast forming legs and has flavours of mousey.