More than just Barolo, Sperss and Conteisa are living expressions of place, time, and legacy. Crafted only in the finest years, Sperss and Conteisa 2021 represent the pinnacle of Nebbiolo in the Langhe, and a new benchmark for Gaja’s relentless pursuit of excellence. Antonio Galloni writes in his Vinous report that he is both “deeply impressed” with the 2021 vintage in Barolo, and that his tastings have confirmed that “...2021 is an exceptional year in terms of both quality and consistency”. Perhaps his most powerful statement is that “...savvy Piedmont fans should note that it will be some time before another vintage of this calibre enters the market.”. Monica Larner shares the same views of the vintage, stating that “the 2021 vintage can be grouped with 2001, 2010 and 2016 as one of the best since the start of the new millennium”. The best wines from this vintage are worthy of a place in any serious collector's cellar, and when you factor in the heritage, unrelenting focus on quality, and global following that the Gaja family have built over five generations, there is even more reason for wine lovers to secure their piece of this legendary vintage on release.  

2021 Vintage: - A demanding late harvest vintage rewarded the Gaja team with high-quality grapes of smaller berries, whose thick skins were rich in aromas, colour, and structure. The result is savoury wines of significant volume and richness with a long finish.

Abundant snowfall and low temperatures led to an unusually severe, rainy winter, followed by a dry spring. Temperatures picked up again in mid-March, accelerating the plant life cycle. Fortunately, the Barolo vineyards, located at higher altitudes, were unaffected by the frost that struck elsewhere in early April.

The summer unfolded dramatically, beginning bright and windy, turning hot and violent in mid-season with frequent thunderstorms, and ending hot and dry. While thunderstorms helped cool the land, the overall conditions emphasized the drier nature of the Barolo zone. A redeeming rainfall arrived at the end of August, refreshing the vineyards and making the white varieties ready for harvest in early September.

Nebbiolo ripened late. The rainfall of September 17, along with a drop in temperatures and a dense fog, helped complete the ripening process. Harvest in the Gaja vineyards in Serralunga d'Alba began in late September and concluded on October 14.

Gaja: The Gaja family settled in Piedmont - northwest Italy - in the mid-seventeenth century. Five generations of the Gaja family have produced wines in Piedmont’s Langhe hills since 1859, the year Giovanni Gaja, a local grape grower, founded the Gaja Winery in Barbaresco.

Giovanni’s son, Angelo (grandfather of today’s Angelo Gaja), was blessed with ambition and vision. Clotilde Rey, whom he married in 1905, inspired him to establish the tradition to which the Gaja family have adhered ever since - total dedication to uncompromising quality. Angelo and Clotilde’s son, Giovanni, continued to follow the high standards his parents had set, producing wines that were renowned throughout Italy. Thanks to his Barbaresco, the winery’s flagship, Gaja wines achieved a leadership position in Italy. Giovanni increased vineyard holdings, acquiring Sorì Tildìn, Costa Russi, Sorì San Lorenzo, and Darmagi, thereby allowing the Gaja family to produce wines of the highest quality exclusively from its own vineyards.
 
Giovanni’s son, Angelo, joined the Winery in 1961 and combined his respect for the traditions of the Langhe with bold innovations in the vineyards and the cellars. Angelo lives in Barbaresco with his wife Lucia and their three children, Gaia, Rossana, and Giovanni who represent the fifth generation who continue the family tradition of producing the very best wines with total dedication to quality.  
Today, the Gaja Winery owns 96ha (240 acres) of vineyards in the Barbaresco district - Barbaresco and Treiso - and the Barolo district - Serralunga d’Alba and La Morra. 
 
Sperss: The Gaja family took the decision in 1961 to only bottle estate grown fruit in order to uphold the highest standards of quality, but this did mean that they were unable to produce a Barolo. Roughly three decades after this decision was made, the Gaja family purchased their first Barolo vineyard in 1988, a 12 hectare vineyard in a prime location in Serralunga d’Alba that they affectionately named Sperss, which means nostalgia in the Piedmontese dialect and is a reference to Giovanni Gaja’s childhood memories of Serralunga.
The Sperss vineyard is located in the Marenca-Rivette sub-area in the municipality of Serralunga. The land, arranged as an amphitheatre on a surface of 12 hectares, consists of very compact clay-calcareous marls and has south and south-west facing exposure with an average altitude of 370 m above sea level. The vines are 55 years old on average. 
 
Conteisa: In 1995 the Gaja family decided further develop their holdings in Barolo, and purchased a second vineyard in the appellation, this time in the township of La Morra. The majority of the vineyard lies in the famed Cerequio cru which is widely regarded as one of the best sites on the west side of the Barolo-Alba road. Cerequio is located between the townships of La Morra and Serralunga d’Alba, who contended with each other for 100 years over the coveted cru. It was this contest that the Gaja family chose to name their wine after; ‘Conteisa’ is Piedmontese for the Italian ‘contesa’, meaning the contended vineyard. The family bottled their first vintage of Conteisa in 1996. The land, facing south, consists of clay-calcareous marls with a considerable presence of sand. Covering a surface of 6 hectares with an average altitude of 380 m above sea level. The vines are 65 years old on average.

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.