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. 
 
It is no secret that 2020 was not a uniform or classically great year in Piemonte, but the temperature variations in September and October saved the vintage, and Gaja say they are extremely happy with the resulting wines.

“These new releases from the Gaja family are impressive. Generational succession is the single greatest threat to the long-term survival of family-owned wineries in Italy. Although there have naturally been some bumps in the road, the Gajas have navigated this tricky phase exceptionally well. That takes an older generation that can let go and a younger generation that is capable of taking over, neither of which is by any means a foregone conclusion. Today’s wines are increasingly marked by grace and understatement, along with the strong expression of site that has always been a calling card for the vineyard designate Barbarescos and Barolos...” - Antonio Galloni
 
What is also clear from Antonio Galloni’s comments is that 2020 has not only produced a spectacular Sperss, but also the “most improved” wine in the Gaja range; the “stunning” Conteisa, which he has awarded 97 points – the joint highest-ever score for Conteisa. The generational transition, and the continued dedication to excellence in all elements of their vineyards and business, have allowed the Gaja family to produce two spectacular Barolos that tell the story of the the very different vineyards from which they are created, but without one being a ‘lesser’ offering. 2020 truly is a vintage where both Sperss and Conteisa earn their place in serious Barolo fans cellars. 

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.