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Angelo Gaja - New Piedmont Releases 2008
From the start, the wines have shown a very pure and expressive fruit character with rich, ripe and supple tannins. Offering immediate appeal and true terroir character and above all, for Angelo, “elegance”, the wines have very good structure, sustained by firm levels of ripe acidity, bold fruit flavours and an overall charm and fine balance. The level of concentration is deceptive and there is no doubt that these wines are of very fine quality, with great potential for medium term aging and drinking but at the same time we anticipate them to remain expressive throughout their life. When pushed to compare, Angelo felt there were strong similarities with the 1988 and 1978 vintages.Nick Adams MW
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Barbaresco 2005 £495 per 6 In Bond order here Deep colour, with a fragrant nose showing touches of juniper and wood spice. Fine forest fruits palate with tar and roses and a lovely rich, savoury character. There is underlying minerality and an intense core to the wine of dark fruits together with vibrant acidity. The tannins are lifted but very ripe and the finish is really long, with notes of mineral and first flush assam tea. This is a tremendously expressive and assertive Barbaresco. Drink from 2013 to 2025. - armit Floral aromatics give way to bright spiced red fruits, menthol and licorice as the 2005 Barbaresco opens in the glass. This is a firm, classically built wine of notable elegance. The tannins are substantial yet beautifully woven into the wine’s mid-weight frame. This is another beautiful Barbaresco from Angelo Gaja, but it will require patience as it is tightly wound today. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030. - 94 points, Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate # 179 Oct 2008 Subtle aromas of rose and blackberry follow through to a full body, with fine tannins and a fresh finish. Chewy. Unfolds on the palate. Layered and beautiful. Refined yet structured. Best after 2013. - 92 points, James Suckling, The Wine Spectator, Sept. 2008 Good deep red. Musky raspberry, minerals and a whiff of dusty oak on the nose. Spicy red fruit flavors offer good juicy cut and verve. A lively, firmly structured midweight that offers very good mouth coverage and finishes persistent and classically dry. - 88-91 points, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Nov/Dec 07 Costa Russi 2005 £1100 per 6 In Bond order here A deep colour and an enticing nose with smoky, toasty and fresh lavender notes. Like the Barbaresco, this is very perfumed and precise with an intense palate of red and black berries with a spice overlay. The wine evolve into a long, layered middle palate with a lovely textured, glycerol mouth feel framed by a ripe tannic:acid structure. On the finish it is long and very mineral with strong briary fruit flavours. Drink from 2015 to 2030. - armit The 2005 Costa Russi shimmers on the palate with extraordinary grace. The wine boasts wonderful depth and richness in its dark red fruit in a round, generous style that offers lovely balance to the tannins. Notes of tar, smoke and licorice develop in the glass, adding a touch of complexity and nuance that is sometimes missing in this bottling. The French oak is present, but deftly balanced with the wine’s other components. As always, Costa Russi comes across as relatively accessible when young, but it is sure to only improve with age. Recent bottles of the 1985 have been nothing short of glorious. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030. - 96 points, Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate # 179 Oct 2008 There's fabulous fruit on the nose, which is very pure, with crushed blackberry and blueberry. Full-bodied, with superrefined tannins and a long, caressing finish. A very classy wine. This is so long and beautiful. Lasts for minutes on the palate. Best after 2014. - 96 points, James Suckling, The Wine Spectator, Sept. 2008 Full ruby-red. Dark raspberry, minerals, rose petal and a whiff of tar on the nose, along with a chocolatey impression of ripeness. Dense, suave and youthfully closed, with the flavors of violet, minerals and chocolatey oak displaying increasing definition with aeration. Showing its oaky side today and tannic on the back end. - 90-93 points, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Nov/Dec 07 Sorì Tildin 2005 £1100 per 6 In Bond order here Very similar in profile to the Costa Russi, really showing how close these two vineyards are to each other. There is a little more intensity here with briary notes and nuances of clove spice. A vibrant, structured dark fruit palate follows with multiple layers and dissolved minerals together with notes of spice and vanillin oak. The middle palate is truly fabulous with intense forest fruits and smoky, gamey notes- juicy, succulent and verging on the decadent. The finish is mineral, long and brambly with a grip that reminds the taster of the serious side to this great wine. Drink from 2015 to 2030. - armit The 2005 Sori Tildin appears to be incredibly primary and youthful. Floral aromatics meld seamlessly into freshly cut roses, raspberries, licorice, tar and menthol. This graceful, feminine wine reveals tons of elegance and finesse in an understated style. Today the Sori Tildin shows a touch more oak than the other single-vineyard wines, which suggests it may not quite have the stuffing of the very finest vintages. Still, this remains a vibrant and very Piedmontese wine in need of only one thing, and that is a long slumber in the cellar. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2035. - 95 points, Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate # 179 Oct 2008 The purity of fruit in this young Nebbiolo is impressive, with a cedar, fresh mushroom and forest undertone. Full-bodied, with masses of fruit as well as toasty oak and milk chocolate. This is a wine that gives you lots at the finish. Best after 2014. - 96 points, James Suckling, The Wine Spectator, Sept. 2008 Red-ruby. Pungent aromas of plum, earth, truffle, minerals and tea. Concentrated and sweet, with a distinctly higher-pitched quality than the Costa Russi; lively acids give the flavors more definition, but the firm tannins are a bit youthfully spiky today. Impressively juicy and concentrated wine. - 91-94 points, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Nov/Dec 07 Sorì San Lorenzo 2005 £1100 per 6 In Bond order here The tightest and most initially reserved on the nose of the big three, the palate is characterized by intense minerality and vinosity, with a taut, grainy tannic structure and a firm kernel of ripe acidity. The hallmark of ripe forest fruits with touches of cumin spice and vanilla is present in swathes. There is amazing intensity, depth and breadth and a searing mineral finish. This is the most unknit of all the wines at present but the one that probably holds the most in reserve too. A totally compelling wine. Drink from 2018 - 2040. - armit Gaja’s 2005 Sori San Lorenzo is a dense, dark beauty of sensual, irresistible charm. This richly-textured, expansive wine flows with masses of ripe dark fruit, menthol, licorice and mineral in a sumptuous, full-bodied style. The use of oak is simply masterful here and the wine boasts extraordinary balance. I am not sure how he does it, but Angelo Gaja is easily Italy’s most consistently brilliant producer. For those who can afford it, this is another gem from Gaja. Readers should interpret my drinking windows with a large grain of salt. The 1990 Sor? San Lorenzo is still young, and the 1978 is amazingly fresh, so it is anyone’s guess as to when this wine might be actually “ready.” In the meantime, this wine is sure to provide enormous pleasure to those lucky enough to own it. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2035. - 96 points, Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate # 179 Oct 2008 Very pretty plum and strawberry aromas follow through to a full body, with ultrafine tannins and a long finish. A reserved, almost delicate style. But with air this gives you loads of luscious and beautiful fruit. Best after 2011. - 95 points, James Suckling, The Wine Spectator, Sept. 2008 Bright ruby-red. Pure, very ripe, highly complex aromas of blackberry, violet, minerals, graphite, licorice and tar. Densely packed and seamless, with terrific cut to its lush flavors. Very sexy flavors of violet and amaro-like bitter herbs. The class of these 2005s today. - 93-95 points, Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Nov/Dec 07 |
wines of Pieve Santa Restituta Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate # 179 Oct 2008 - I was blown away by Angelo Gaja’s 2005 wines from Barbaresco. When all is said and done, Gaja may have well produced not the wine, but rather the wines of the vintage in a year that was excellent but not profound. While Gaja’s 2005 don’t have the explosive, multi-dimensional personalities of his 2004s, they are vibrant offerings that will thrill readers who love Piedmont wines. As always, Gaja blends in a small percentage of Barbera in his single-vineyard wines, but that is hardly noticeable in this vintage. I also noted less new oak than has generally been the case in the recent past. The wines showcase very pure expressions of Nebbiolo and are made in a style that appears to make fewer concessions to the decidedly international approach of previous vintages. In short, these are the most Piedmontese wines I have tasted from Angelo Gaja in a long time. Could it be that the greatest innovator in Piedmont over the last thirty five-plus years has taken a small step towards a more classic style?  From the outset, Angelo Gaja’s prestigious Barbaresco and single vineyard wines from the Langhe region of Piedmont have always been a remarkably expressive set of wines. From my first encounter with them, in the chill of Barbaresco in mid-February alongside Angelo and Gaia, they have been marked by an exuberance and a vitality which made them instantly appealing but also a structure and depth which promised much for future development and eventual sumptuous drinking. Tasting them again in London in June I found that they had, if anything, put on more weight and texture yet without any sense of closure at that stage which is often the case following their entrapment in glass. Each one exhibited glorious fruit and terroir expression and a lilting, forward quality which hints at a long and very satisfying drinking window. Additionally, I feel that these wines have much to offer for a different range of drinkers – succulence and bold fruit for those who enjoy their wines younger; structure and vitality for those who prefer them with age. As ever, they carry the most remarkable sense of provenance and individuality and – as we have come to expect from Angelo’s hand – an ethereal touch. Acclaim has already been adorned in the form of high scores from major critics, creating eager anticipation for the release. It is therefore with a sense of excitement and great honour that I introduce the 2005s here to a UK audience for the first time. Nick Adams MW |