In this video, John Jackson, DipWSET a/k/a Attorney Somm explains the story behind legendary Italian winery Gaja. Attorney Somm explains some of Gaja’s innovations in Barbaresco wine production as well as the Barbaresco wines that Gaja produces. Attorney Somm also discusses buying strategies for Gaja wines.
#winevideo #gaja #gajabarbaresco
For all of Attorney Somm’s Italian wine videos, please see the following playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2aDDJZh–pBBZ4-oO5vGz1NAvnF7OuoD
ITALIAN WINE REGION VIDEOS
Barbaresco: https://youtu.be/X3Y0-sshz3E
Barolo: https://youtu.be/YHc11Zxc9HQ?si=izhFr0keyVbpykLo
Brunello: https://youtu.be/2hsBf1Wg-p0?si=DR8tUmaMNw0jmlBf
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo: https://youtu.be/hE3mCTrlPNM?si=pUHp_i9kr1-JanU5
Chianti Classico: https://youtu.be/-r7982rPVdw?si=F-zJJlpjvYixNyoG
MORE ITALIAN WINE VIDEOS
Super Tuscan Wines: https://youtu.be/M50a0tNuRBc?si=-14qO-Nel8XBs_sn
2019 Brunello: https://youtu.be/JX_JjfRa2zY?si=zvIiHCQ4L3ZJv0yy
Italian White Wines: https://youtu.be/TXWWBUncqHw?si=kuaWjjCRk_cIZ2o6
Navigating an Italian Wine List: https://youtu.be/CRIlO0-4hvY
13 Top Italian Wines: https://youtu.be/zOe-Hfr9zo8
VIDEOS ABOUT ITALIAN WINERIES
Biondi-Santi: https://youtu.be/sgSJzDLG0Ak?si=rXLkKdEZGAjqmyIV
Sassicaia: https://youtu.be/KnzGQixQa7A?si=DvxQyVM-sZ18L4xd
Ornellaia & Masseto: https://youtu.be/bRST02o6A3M?si=7GDMx5rzvQKGIoqe
Antinori Super Tuscan Wines: https://youtu.be/5YwNSjtacg4?si=_y-ceKIMJq5Hkcms
Soldera: https://youtu.be/VQzqrUJulNg?si=sFknf0ESktICcCA1
Il Poggione: https://youtu.be/tzjbEtCph9g?si=72a-xxJwvFPCXBKt
Roberto Voerzio: https://youtu.be/tDzBrKc__pE?si=0wnc2oxNI3ui5z4J
ITALIAN WINE PODCASTS
Interview with Feudi di San Gregorio:
Part 1: https://youtu.be/cBL5o39yTNg?si=exsn28iODGzyvCLM
Part 2: https://youtu.be/j1Vb_3en3JQ?si=0oEO5brooDkWpbw4
WINE ACCESSORIES I USE
https://www.amazon.com/shop/attorneysomm
MY FAVORITE FLASH SITE – Sign up to receive $10 off your first order!
https://www.lastbottlewines.com/invite/6215746e97c3146c8d3717b937d97a9e1f7fcb7b.html
SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE WINE VIDEOS
https://www.youtube.com/c/AttorneySomm
LET’S CONNECT
Instagram: instagram.com/attorneysomm
Twitter: http://twitter.com/attorneysomm
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/johnm-jackson
DISCLOSURE
Some of the links above are set up through affiliate programs, which means that this channel receives a modest referral credit if you choose to purchase or sign up through the link(s) above. Affiliate links help allow me to continue to bring you great content and impartial wine reviews. Thank you for contributing to the Attorney Somm community!
guia was founded way back in 1859 and is certainly one of the oldest wineries in the barbaresco docg Angelo Gia the fourth generation took over back in 1961 when he was only 21 years old guy has been known for its Innovation particularly since Angelo took over in the 1960s for example Angelo Gaia along with Bruno giosa was one of the first producers to start bottling and releasing a single Vineyard wine gaia’s first single Vineyard bottling was from the Sor Vineyard and it was for the 1967 vintage which was released in 1970 in the late 1970s guy was also one of the very first producers in barbaresco to utilize French Oak breaks that are only around 225 lers to mature the barbaresco wines rather than the customary old slavonian oak casks that had been used for Generations controversially back in 199 6 guia also withdrew its single Vineyard barbaresco such as Sor San Lorenzo and Sor Tilden from the barbaresco docg classification and instead labeled those wines with the much less prestigious langa doc designation this was reportedly due to the fact that Gia was unhappy that many people began referring to their Flagship barbaresco as either basic or normali and guy did not want to be known as producing anything that was just regular or basic this change also allowed Gaia to include small percentages of Barbara in the single Vineyard barbaresco wines and that obviously would have been prohibited if they were labeling them as barbaresco docg wines since barbaresco docg has to be 100% nebiolo about 10 to 12 years ago however Gaia stopped labeling these single vard wines as langa docc wines and removed the Barbara and once again started labeling them as barbaresco docg wies the flagship guia barbaresco is produced from fruit that comes from 14 different Vineyards these Vineyards span a little bit more than 21 hectares Vineyards are planted between 250 and 330 m above sea level and the vines average an impressive 40 years of age guia uses sustainable farming methods in its Vineyards in the winery Gaia takes a two-prong attack to the Metro atation they use the French O BS for the first year of maturation and then for the second year they’ll revert back to the traditional large slavonian o casks the guy barbaresco typically has around 14% alcohol by volume the 2020 vintage is on store shelves now and I’ve seen it selling for around $260 per bottle but I also saw some places selling it for well over $300 a bottle so definitely shop around for this one one of my best all-time experiences with a guy barbaresco was with the legendary 1964 bottling despite its age this bottle was still in excellent condition and showing extremely well while I hear some people complain that Gaia is overpriced and overrated in my view I think these wines typically just need a substantial amount of time to distinguish themselves and show their best in many instances 25 years or more so for that reason I typically don’t buy them on release but will instead look for back vintages that I can get good deals on here and there this approach also tends to work quite well because historic pricing was much lower than current release pricing and so it’s often possible to get some back vintages of Dia barbaresco with a substantial amount of age on it for not much more than you’ll spend for a much more recent release if it makes you happy to drink Gia barbaresco on release or within a few years thereafter by all means do it but in my view I think if you’re going to open it within the first 5 to seven years after the release you’re definitely better off buying something like a protator Al barbaresco that sells for a fraction of the cost and which doesn’t require decades before it reaches its peak as mentioned about 10 to 12 years ago guia also began producing single Vineyard barbaresco again and it has three of them Sor San Lorenzo Sor tildan and Costa rusi these will typically set you back back at least $800 per bottle if not more guy did not produce any of the single Vineyard barbaresco in 2019 because these Vineyards were still suffering from repercussions from a hail storm that occurred in 2018 as with the flagship guia barbaresco it’s often possible to buy back vintages of the single Vineyard barbaresco for much less than the current pricing this is also a good idea because these single Vineyard barbaresco require even more age than the Flagship barbaresco last year for example I tasted the 2000 GA Sor San Lorenzo and it was absolutely incredible but it was also still very youthful and nowhere near its peak in fact I would guess it would probably take another 10 years or so before it would reach its apex so you’ll definitely need a lot of patience if you want to buy one of these single Vineyard barbaresco on release and enjoy it at its peak if you’d like to learn more about Italian wise I published numerous videos on various Italian wine subjects including super Tuscan wines bolo Brunello Kean Classico and many more so if you’d like to check those out be sure to check out the playlist that’s linked above
3 Comments
I had the chance to get Sorí Tildin and San Lorenzo 2004 for a really good price (below 200$) and I am sad that even their Barbaresco is now more expensive then these aged premium versions.
What an excellently created video about one of Italy’s most revered producers! As a wine enthusiast with a deep appreciation for this winery’s history and relentless quest for excellence, I found your presentation exceptionally informative, insightful, engaging, and authoritative. Your explanation of Gaja's innovations in Barbaresco production clearly shows your audience this producer’s commitment to unparalleled quality as well as their crucial role in elevating the region’s wines to global recognition. (Comment to be continued.😁)
Of academic interest only for me, John but interesting nonetheless. I might search for a 25 y.o. Gaja but it is likely, even if I could source one, to be way outside my budget. I have some '13 and '18 Barbarescos (but not Gaja, alas) which will have to do the job.