Gaja
Giovanni Gaja founded the winery in Barbaresco, Piedmont in 1859. Currently, in its fifth generation of unbroken familial leadership, Gaja has established itself as one of Italy's most iconic winemaking dynasties since its foundation in 1859.
The flagship wine of Italy’s most famous Piedmonte dynasty, Gaja has produced its iconic Barbaresco since its founding in 1859 by the legendary Giovanni Gaja. Over 150 years later, Angelo Gaja is the dynamic and revered winemaker at the helm of his family estate, a position he has now held for over five decades.
| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 98-100 (JD) |
Inc. TAX
€984.48 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (98-100)The 2019 Barolo Conteisa is a noble wine, with angular and drying tannins, as well as more mineral expression. Notes of medicinal herbs, crushed stones, and pure cherry lead to a wine that is more restrained right now but will be fantastic. Through the palate, it has compact but wonderful concentration and a driving structure and is more herbaceous, savory, and mineral than fruity and floral. It is outstanding. Drink the 2020s while waiting for the 2019s. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 98-100 (JD) |
Inc. TAX
€384.84 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (98-100)The 2019 Barolo Conteisa is a noble wine, with angular and drying tannins, as well as more mineral expression. Notes of medicinal herbs, crushed stones, and pure cherry lead to a wine that is more restrained right now but will be fantastic. Through the palate, it has compact but wonderful concentration and a driving structure and is more herbaceous, savory, and mineral than fruity and floral. It is outstanding. Drink the 2020s while waiting for the 2019s. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 98-100 (JD) |
Inc. TAX
€1,922.63 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (98-100)The 2019 Barolo Conteisa is a noble wine, with angular and drying tannins, as well as more mineral expression. Notes of medicinal herbs, crushed stones, and pure cherry lead to a wine that is more restrained right now but will be fantastic. Through the palate, it has compact but wonderful concentration and a driving structure and is more herbaceous, savory, and mineral than fruity and floral. It is outstanding. Drink the 2020s while waiting for the 2019s. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 2 | 97 (JD) |
Inc. TAX
€2,392.54 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (97)The Serralunga power comes through in the 2020 Barolo Conteisa. Boasting a jeweled, shimmering ruby color, it’s ripe and expressive with pristine notes of strawberry preserve, balsamic herbs, candied flowers, and sweet tobacco. It offers a lot of ripe sapidity on the palate, with a resinous quality, a touch of warmth, a rounded feel, and great length. It’s fairly approachable now, but it’s going to have the structure to last over the long haul, 20 years or so. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 98 (VN) |
Inc. TAX
€2,390.63 |
|||||
Vinous (98)The 2013 Barbaresco Costa Russi is a real head-turner. Crystalline and utterly vivid in its expression of Nebbiolo, the 2013 is all class. Stylistically, the Costa Russi is closest to the straight Barbaresco, but it has a little more mid-palate sweetness and density. Bright floral and minty notes add lift on the chiseled, expressive finish. The Costa Russi is the star of the show this year, considering it is the least pedigreed of Gaja's three single-vineyard sites. The 2013 has been stunningly beautiful on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 97 (JS) |
Inc. TAX
€2,252.93 |
|||||
James Suckling (97)Wow. Such depth in the nose of strawberries, flowers and hints of raw meat. Crushed stones, too. Full body, fine and dusty tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Shows structure and finesse. Drink in 2020. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 97 (JS) |
Inc. TAX
€2,553.59 |
|||||
James Suckling (97)Wow. Such depth in the nose of strawberries, flowers and hints of raw meat. Crushed stones, too. Full body, fine and dusty tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Shows structure and finesse. Drink in 2020. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 2 | 98 (VN) |
Inc. TAX
€1,711.32 |
|||||
Vinous (98)The 2016 Barbaresco Costa Russi is ripe, creamy and enveloping, as it so often is, and yet also preserves the super classic sense of structure that runs through all these wines. In 2016, Costa Russi has an extra touch of mid-palate sweetness that gives the wine its sense of immediacy. Succulent red cherry, rosewater, kirsch, mint and dried flowers meld together in the glass. Soft and sensual, with tons of allure, Costa Russi is another winner from Gaja. Time in the glass brings out the wine's density and tannins, both of which it has in spades. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 98 (VN) |
Inc. TAX
€2,090.63 |
|||||
Vinous (98)The 2016 Barbaresco Costa Russi is ripe, creamy and enveloping, as it so often is, and yet also preserves the super classic sense of structure that runs through all these wines. In 2016, Costa Russi has an extra touch of mid-palate sweetness that gives the wine its sense of immediacy. Succulent red cherry, rosewater, kirsch, mint and dried flowers meld together in the glass. Soft and sensual, with tons of allure, Costa Russi is another winner from Gaja. Time in the glass brings out the wine's density and tannins, both of which it has in spades. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 3 | 96 (JS) |
Inc. TAX
€2,162.63 |
|||||
James Suckling (96)A pretty red with ripe-cherry, strawberry and floral aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied and very tight with a creamy, polished palate that goes on for minutes. Very fine and polished tannins. Give this two or three years to come more together. Better after 2022. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | - |
Inc. TAX
€645.55 |
|||||
|
|
Piedmont | 4 | 95 (WA) |
Inc. TAX
€1,245.59 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (95)You'll find more dark fruit and more freshness here than in many of the other offerings from Gaja, with a dark, deep inky appearance. The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Darmagi is a 100% expression of the grape, whereas past editions saw tiny parts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The fruit comes from a 2.5-hectare vineyard planted in 1978 directly under the town of Barbaresco, setting the stage for an elegant rendition of Cabernet Sauvignon with a fresh and contained style. The wine shows a nice balance between the extraction you get from the grape skins and the rich succulence you get from the pulp inside the berries. In the 2017, you taste more of the skins, and in the 2018, Gaia Gaja comments, you taste more of the pulp. The 2016 offers both, countering each other with precision. Whole grapes are pressed very gently, and the wine is aged in oak for 18 months, with less emphasis on new oak now. In fact, only 30% of the total sees new oak, and a greater percentage of the wine goes into large oak casks instead. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | - |
Inc. TAX
€395.95 |
|||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 94 (VN) |
Inc. TAX
€292.44 |
|||||
Vinous (94)The 2012 Gaia & Rey is classy and elegant to the core. Melon, pear, almond and spice notes meld together in a striking, nuanced Chardonnay long on personality. The Gaja family has pulled back the richness here quite a bit in recent years, which has resulted in a much more precise style. Slight elements of Burgundian-like reduction linger on the close, but all the 2012 needs is to be opened in advance. What a striking wine this is. |
|||||||||
| Product Name | Region | Qty | Score | Price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 98-100 (JD) |
In Bond
€813.00 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (98-100)The 2019 Barolo Conteisa is a noble wine, with angular and drying tannins, as well as more mineral expression. Notes of medicinal herbs, crushed stones, and pure cherry lead to a wine that is more restrained right now but will be fantastic. Through the palate, it has compact but wonderful concentration and a driving structure and is more herbaceous, savory, and mineral than fruity and floral. It is outstanding. Drink the 2020s while waiting for the 2019s. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 98-100 (JD) |
In Bond
€317.00 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (98-100)The 2019 Barolo Conteisa is a noble wine, with angular and drying tannins, as well as more mineral expression. Notes of medicinal herbs, crushed stones, and pure cherry lead to a wine that is more restrained right now but will be fantastic. Through the palate, it has compact but wonderful concentration and a driving structure and is more herbaceous, savory, and mineral than fruity and floral. It is outstanding. Drink the 2020s while waiting for the 2019s. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 98-100 (JD) |
In Bond
€1,580.00 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (98-100)The 2019 Barolo Conteisa is a noble wine, with angular and drying tannins, as well as more mineral expression. Notes of medicinal herbs, crushed stones, and pure cherry lead to a wine that is more restrained right now but will be fantastic. Through the palate, it has compact but wonderful concentration and a driving structure and is more herbaceous, savory, and mineral than fruity and floral. It is outstanding. Drink the 2020s while waiting for the 2019s. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 2 | 97 (JD) |
In Bond
€1,970.00 |
|||||
Jeb Dunnuck (97)The Serralunga power comes through in the 2020 Barolo Conteisa. Boasting a jeweled, shimmering ruby color, it’s ripe and expressive with pristine notes of strawberry preserve, balsamic herbs, candied flowers, and sweet tobacco. It offers a lot of ripe sapidity on the palate, with a resinous quality, a touch of warmth, a rounded feel, and great length. It’s fairly approachable now, but it’s going to have the structure to last over the long haul, 20 years or so. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 98 (VN) |
In Bond
€1,970.00 |
|||||
Vinous (98)The 2013 Barbaresco Costa Russi is a real head-turner. Crystalline and utterly vivid in its expression of Nebbiolo, the 2013 is all class. Stylistically, the Costa Russi is closest to the straight Barbaresco, but it has a little more mid-palate sweetness and density. Bright floral and minty notes add lift on the chiseled, expressive finish. The Costa Russi is the star of the show this year, considering it is the least pedigreed of Gaja's three single-vineyard sites. The 2013 has been stunningly beautiful on the three occasions I have tasted it so far. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 97 (JS) |
In Bond
€1,865.00 |
|||||
James Suckling (97)Wow. Such depth in the nose of strawberries, flowers and hints of raw meat. Crushed stones, too. Full body, fine and dusty tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Shows structure and finesse. Drink in 2020. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 97 (JS) |
In Bond
€2,105.00 |
|||||
James Suckling (97)Wow. Such depth in the nose of strawberries, flowers and hints of raw meat. Crushed stones, too. Full body, fine and dusty tannins and a long and flavorful finish. Shows structure and finesse. Drink in 2020. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 2 | 98 (VN) |
In Bond
€1,415.00 |
|||||
Vinous (98)The 2016 Barbaresco Costa Russi is ripe, creamy and enveloping, as it so often is, and yet also preserves the super classic sense of structure that runs through all these wines. In 2016, Costa Russi has an extra touch of mid-palate sweetness that gives the wine its sense of immediacy. Succulent red cherry, rosewater, kirsch, mint and dried flowers meld together in the glass. Soft and sensual, with tons of allure, Costa Russi is another winner from Gaja. Time in the glass brings out the wine's density and tannins, both of which it has in spades. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 98 (VN) |
In Bond
€1,720.00 |
|||||
Vinous (98)The 2016 Barbaresco Costa Russi is ripe, creamy and enveloping, as it so often is, and yet also preserves the super classic sense of structure that runs through all these wines. In 2016, Costa Russi has an extra touch of mid-palate sweetness that gives the wine its sense of immediacy. Succulent red cherry, rosewater, kirsch, mint and dried flowers meld together in the glass. Soft and sensual, with tons of allure, Costa Russi is another winner from Gaja. Time in the glass brings out the wine's density and tannins, both of which it has in spades. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 3 | 96 (JS) |
In Bond
€1,780.00 |
|||||
James Suckling (96)A pretty red with ripe-cherry, strawberry and floral aromas and flavors. It’s full-bodied and very tight with a creamy, polished palate that goes on for minutes. Very fine and polished tannins. Give this two or three years to come more together. Better after 2022. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | - |
In Bond
€534.00 |
|||||
|
|
Piedmont | 4 | 95 (WA) |
In Bond
€1,015.00 |
|||||
Wine Advocate (95)You'll find more dark fruit and more freshness here than in many of the other offerings from Gaja, with a dark, deep inky appearance. The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Darmagi is a 100% expression of the grape, whereas past editions saw tiny parts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The fruit comes from a 2.5-hectare vineyard planted in 1978 directly under the town of Barbaresco, setting the stage for an elegant rendition of Cabernet Sauvignon with a fresh and contained style. The wine shows a nice balance between the extraction you get from the grape skins and the rich succulence you get from the pulp inside the berries. In the 2017, you taste more of the skins, and in the 2018, Gaia Gaja comments, you taste more of the pulp. The 2016 offers both, countering each other with precision. Whole grapes are pressed very gently, and the wine is aged in oak for 18 months, with less emphasis on new oak now. In fact, only 30% of the total sees new oak, and a greater percentage of the wine goes into large oak casks instead. |
|||||||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | - |
In Bond
€326.00 |
|||||
|
|
Piedmont | 1 | 94 (VN) |
In Bond
€240.00 |
|||||
Vinous (94)The 2012 Gaia & Rey is classy and elegant to the core. Melon, pear, almond and spice notes meld together in a striking, nuanced Chardonnay long on personality. The Gaja family has pulled back the richness here quite a bit in recent years, which has resulted in a much more precise style. Slight elements of Burgundian-like reduction linger on the close, but all the 2012 needs is to be opened in advance. What a striking wine this is. |
|||||||||

