Angelo Gaja - New Releases 2007

Angelo Gaja was enthralled by the quality, purity and intensity of his Barbaresco and Langhe Crus. When we tasted them with him on 20 March, we were captivated by the sheer vitality, concentration and balance. These wines have the potential to be some of the greatest he has produced in the last twenty years and we recommend them unreservedly. Nick Adams MW

We asked Angelo to express a key characteristic of 2004. This is what he said "Elegance in wine is a characteristic that is always difficult to define. Opulence and sumptuousness are easier to recognize because they are more obvious. Elegance whispers rather than shouts. It seems to be a characteristic of the most noble wines of the old world: consisting of an innate richness, reserve and discretion. An elegant wine does not reveal itself immediately, but its greatness is apparent well before it reaches the full potential it will achieve over time; perfection is not the goal, but rather originality, integrity, completeness. Over the years, I often have spoken about the elegance of those wines that I like the most. I think it is safe to say that in Gaja Barbaresco 2004, elegance will be well expressed."

Piedmont 2004 vintage report

As ever, demand will be high so please call us for further assistance or to order on 020 7908 0660 or your usual contact.

Barbaresco 2004

Price per 12 bottles In Bond              SOLD OUT

(100% Nebbiolo) Quite deep in colour – purple rim. Lovely expressive dog rose nose with touches of lavender and herbs - also notes of new oak and peppermint. Peppermint notes on the palate, but dominated by intense black fruits and touch of tar and lavender oil. Really intensely structured and poised – extracted by already finely balanced if not (unsurprisingly) interwoven yet. Beautifully frameworked, long and ripe with a fine mineral finish. Really gregarious and pure. Drink over the next 10 years

The 2004 Barbaresco reveals fresh, perfumed aromatics that lead to layers of crushed flowers, spices and sweet raspberries. This is a wine of rare class, elegance and pure breed. It offers outstanding length and silky, elegant tannins to round out the inviting finish. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2024. - 93 points, Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate # 173

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Further technical details

 

Costa Russi 2004

Price per 6 bottles In Bond               SOLD OUT

(95% Nebbiolo, 5% Barbera) Really deep in colour, with a floral dogrose nose overlaid with white pepper notes. Rich, dry and creamy entry, pure coulis red and blackberry fruits and intensely mineral. Beautifully structured with ripe, grainy tannins, rapier like acidity and kernel of tar and assam tea flavours. Lovely licquorice touches emerge on the middle palate. A seamless, pure fine wine of outstanding vitality and length of flavour. Needs 10-20 years - armit

The 2004 Costa Russi is irresistibly sexy and opulent. As is typically the case, the wine is more overtly fruit-driven, with a round, supple personality. Sweet, long and richly-textured, it is just plain awesome in its display of generous, vibrant fruit, tar, smoke, minerals and herbs. It is the finest Costa Russi yet. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2024. - 95 points, Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate # 173

Complex, fresh aromas of concentrated blackberry, grilled meat and chocolate. Full-bodied and chewy, with caress­ing tannins and a long, long finish. A brick house and beautifully decorated. Powerful. Best after 2012. - 97 points, James Suckling, The Wine Spectator

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Further technical details

 

Sorì Tildin 2004

Price per 6 bottles In Bond               SOLD OUT

(95% Nebbiolo, 5% Barbera) Again deep colour, bur nose more of prune fruit, even hints of young vintage port! As with Costa Russi low key new wood influences. On the palate an amazing attack of dark fruits and intense minerality with touches of lavender and tar. Again, beautiful framework of fine grained tannins and ripe, grippy acidity. Really big, black fruit, pastille middle palate – this is slightly more dense than the Costa Russi overall, with more glycerol. Long, long licquorice, lavender and mineral finish – absolute purity, intensity and poise – will last for 30 years or more! Brilliant. - armit

Gaja’s 2004 Sori Tildin floats on the palate. It is the most nuanced of these single-vineyard offerings, with gorgeous notes of tar, smoke, roses, violets, sweet toasted oak and earthiness that emerge from the glass in a counterpoint of sublime elegance and stunning purity. It possesses superb length and elegant, silky tannins to round out the finish. This extraordinary Sori Tildin will require at least a few years of bottle age, but it is destined to be one of the vintage’s legendary wines. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2024. - 97 points, Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate # 173

Incredibly perfumed, with chocolate, mineral and black­berry. Full-bodied, with amazing finesse, strength and balance. Long and beautiful. A return to the quality level of 2001. Best after 2011. - 95 points, James Suckling, The Wine Spectator

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Further technical details

 

Sorì San Lorenzo 2004

Price per 6 bottles In Bond               SOLD OUT

(95% Nebbiolo, 5% Barbera) Deep colour and back to floral notes of dog rose with nuances of peppermint. Very dry tannic entry, fruit character the most suppressed of the three Crus – with hints of dark fruits and licquorice, lifted minerality and hints of spice. Very structured, ethereal with super ripe tannins and acidity, and a long, long finish with subtle notes of assam tea. Brooding, potentially profound wine – again 30 years plus potential. - armit

The 2004 Sori San Lorenzo is a drop-dead gorgeous wine. It presents awesome balance, especially in the way it marries power with elegance. This is a remarkably refined and understated Sori San Lorenzo, with never-ending layers of dark raspberries, licorice, grilled herbs and tar that flow from its sumptuous frame. A dark, brooding beauty, it will require several additional years of bottle at a minimum, but those with the patience to wait will be amply rewarded. In most vintages I prefer the Sori Tildin, but in 2004 Sori San Lorenzo has a very slight edge over its sibling. It may very well be the finest Sori San Lorenzo since the legendary 1971. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029. - 98 points, Antonio Galloni, The Wine Advocate # 173

Wonderful aromas of blackberry, licorice and mineral fol­low through to a full-bodied palate, with silky tannins and a very fruity finish. Delicate at the end. Racy and balanced. Best after 2011. - 93 points, James Suckling, The Wine Spectator

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Further technical details

"In my lifetime, I can recall only two other vintages, which, like the 2004, yielded both high quantity and high quality: 1990 and 1964." Angelo Gaja

Sori San Lorenzo

 

about Angelo Gaja

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Angelo and I first started working together in 1995 and I have been fortunate enough to taste with him regularly ever since. He is a man of tremendous energy and unfailing drive yet in all of my years of tasting with him, which includes the magnificent run of vintages from 1997-2001, I have never been more thrilled than I was when tasting the 2004s in March of this year.
I consider that 2004 will be viewed as one of Angelo’s greatest triumphs, a brilliant vintage mastered by one of the legends of contemporary winemaking. They are a compelling set of wines, each distinctly different yet all imbued with the flash of genius and individuality which only Angelo could provide. John Armit