A Sampling of Gaja Wines

By their high prices alone, Gaja wines are for special occasions. A revolutionary at heart, Gaja not only pioneered the use of small French oak barrels in Italy but also single-handedly brought Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon to the Langhe. All of these wines are made by Gaja, as well as the more traditional Piedmontese red wines of Barbaresco and Barolo (both 100% Nebbiolo), and Barbera and Dolcetto.

Which wines best exemplify the Gaja touch? If price is no object, then the signature Gaja wines are his three single-vineyard Barbarescos: Costa Russi, Sori Tildin and Sori San Lorenzo. (Sori--pronounced soo-REE--is Piedmontese dialect for a south-facing slope.) Each is a rich, concentrated Nebbiolo that deserves years of cellaring. They also accommodate the taste of French oak gracefully. The retail price for each is between $110 and $125 a bottle.

More widely available is Gaja’s regular non-vineyard-designated Barbaresco, which sells for about $50 a bottle. Although fine and very much worthwhile, it is less distinctive than the single vineyard bottlings. Also, the taste and scent of oak are more prominent.

The best deal in Gaja wine--if that word can be applied--is the Barolo, called Sperss (dialect for “nostalgia”). This is as fine in its rich, muscular fashion as the three single-vineyard Barbarescos, but it sells for less than half the price: $50 a bottle.

It, too, carries off the oak with uncommon ease and is pleasurable drinking even when young. The 1991 vintage is quite good, never mind what vintage charts say about ’91 being a lesser year. Look also for the undeniably great 1989 and 1990 vintages, which still can be found on restaurant wine lists and in some retail shops.