.. le glorious 12th!

What a way to begin the holiday season. Well, this is my way of holidaying; going nowhere, listening to some beautiful music, dreaming of a roasted Grouse and drinking some lovely wines. The latest Gaja Barbarescos are some of the most impressive wines I have tasted since the big Gaja Hatch tasting 4 or 5 years ago now, held in The Tower of London.

2022 Barbarescos show what was possible in this very challenging vintage. “Obviously 2022 was very hot and dry,” Gaia Gaja recounted. “We think the heat resulted in very thick skins that served to protect the fruit. At some point during the summer, the vines stopped ripening and kept a level of acidity that remained through to a harvest that benefited from a bit of rain in mid-August. We gave the single-vineyard wines close to 60 days on the skins. We bottled all the single-vineyard Barbarescos, although production is less than half of 2021.”

These 2022s were outrageously beautiful. The straight Barbaresco benefits from some lots that typically go into the single vineyard wines. The flagships are all exceptional. Gaja’s 2021 Barolos capture all the intensity and stature the vintage had to offer, while the 2022 is the finest Darmagi I can remember tasting.

2022 Gaja Barbaresco @ £180bt (96/100pts)
The 2022 Barbaresco is a pure and total seduction. Plush contours and lifted aromatics make a strong first impression. Cedar, tobacco, new leather, licorice meld into a core of red Nebbiolo fruit. A wine of density and texture, the 2022 is outrageously beautiful. High class.

2022 Gaja Barbaresco ‘Sorì Tildìn’ @ £495bt (97/100pts)
The 2022 Barbaresco Sorì Tildìn is laced with brilliant red toned fruit, mint, blood orange, chalk, dried flowers and white pepper. Even in this torrid, dry vintage, Sorì Tildìn retains its super classic feel and essential qualities, most specifically its focus.

2022 Gaja Barbaresco ‘Costa Russi’ @ £440bt (97/100pts)
The 2022 Barbaresco Costa Russi is a bomb. A burst of dark red/purplish fruit wrapped up by soft contours announces an important wine, one of the very finest of this challenging harvest. Lavender, rose petal, mint, spice and licorice add layers of nuance, but it is the wine’s balance that stands out most. Exceptional.

2022 Gaja Darmagi (..what a pity!) @ £395bt (96/100pts)
The 2022 Darmagi is another fabulous wine in this range from the Gaja family. Aromatic and vibrant to the core, the 2022 dazzles from start to finish. I have never tasted a Darmagi with this much textural finesse. Part of the approach in 2022 involved removing some of the skins after the initial vinification. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal and graphite all meld together in the glass. Polished tannins remind me of young Lafite.

2022 Gaja Barbaresco ‘Sorì San Lorenzo’ (n/a)
Our bottle had a touch of TCA that would not blow off.
It can happen folks!

The evening began with a glass or two of Pol Roger Brut NV and then we kicked off with 2023 Gaia & Rey (Langhe) of course made from Le Chardonnay. I have tasted many vintages before over the years and it’s sure as hell getting to be a good, or better wine than it used to be. Less chalkie! But even though it is a texturally expansive wine for the future. I still cannot get over its price tag. I will pass!

Questions/Orders: William@worldwineconsultants.com