Following on from the 2020 Barbaresco and 2019 Barolos, Gaja have released their three single vineyard Barbarescos in 2020. Each owned exclusively by the Gaja family for over 50 years, they are some of the finest terroirs in Piemonte but they are only released when the conditions are perfect for all three, and they are either all released together, or all declassified together. No single vineyard Barbarescos were produced by Gaja in 2019 or 2018 so these are the first releases of these wines since 2017.

I was lucky enough to drink these wines over lunch in November 2023 with Angelo's children and successors, Giovanni and Gaia and they were a real treat. All showing wonderfully at this early stage with juicy, crunchy fruit, great freshness and awesome intensity. Costa Russi is fairly open and certainly the easiest to understand at this stage. Sori Tildin is perhaps the most closed, darker in profile, deep and brooding. Sori San Lorenzo was the real star for me, although it is also far from showing its best, but it has the most sensuous perfume, and with the underlying intensity lingering on the palate it already shows itself to be a very serious wine, built for the long haul, but irresistibly delicious even now!
 
Sori San Lorenzo came first in 1964, when it was purchased from the parish of Alba, and so it was named after the local cathedral’s patron saint, San Lorenzo. Costa Russi was purchased in 1967 - the word ‘Costa’ means a slope which faces the sun, and 'Russi' was the nickname of the vineyard's most devout worker. Sori Tildin was also acquired in the same year, with the first release in 1970. ‘Sori’ means ‘hilltop’ in old Piedmontese dialect, and ‘Tildin’ was the nickname of Clotilde Rey, Angelo’s grandmother.
 
Originally planted with a small amount of Barbera in the vineyards, this meant they could not be classified as Barbaresco, but since 2013, all three vineyards are now 100% Nebbiolo.
 
Antonio Galloni wrote of Gaja’s 2020s: “a superb set of wines from the Gaja family…the 2020 Barbarescos are gorgeous, vibrant wines that impress with their delineation.” Galloni was also very positive about the vintage as a whole, not just at Gaja – “2020s are beautifully balanced…..a vintage of extreme pleasure without excess or opulence.”

N.B. This wine is not currently in stock but can be ordered, usually for delivery within a few weeks -  please email info@cellarselect.co.uk for availability and lead time, or it will be confirmed after an order is placed.