Gaja
An ancient family domaine established in the 1850s, the business was revolutionised by Angelo Gaja when he joined in 1961. Gaja is Italy’s most renowned and dynamic wine personality and his impact on wine production in the last 30 years cannot be overestimated. Gaja stated that his goal was to maintain the basic power and depth of Nebbiolo while polishing the wines to give them richer colour, fuller fruit, better balance and a more refined style.
Gaja introduced modern viticultural techniques and a breakaway winemaking philosophy that went against the traditional methods universally practised in the region. He deliberately reduced yields to increase concentration and ripeness by implementing high-density planting and green harvesting in the vineyards. He also began to produce single-vineyard wines from sites in Barbaresco, accentuating particular flavour profiles due to the distinct expositions and soils, something not widely practised in the region at the time. Single vineyard production started with cuvées from Sorí San Lorenzo in 1967, Sorí Tildin in 1970 and Costa Russi in 1978.
From the 1996 vintage onwards, Gaja started adding a small percentage of Barbera (5-6%) to his top cuvées to improve the balance and acidity of the wines. This had once been common practice in the region, however was not permitted under the DOCG classification. As a result, he had to declassify his Barbaresco and Barolo wines to Langhe DOC (apart from two cuvées – Barolo Dagromis and one Barbaresco). From the 2013 vintage onwards, the wines have become 100% Nebbiolo again and been reclassified as DOCG Barolo and Barbaresco.
Today Gaja has 101 hectares of vineyards divided into 32 separate plots and produces around 30,000 cases of wine a year. Gaja produces world-class wines that sell for world-class prices; his latest venture is in Tuscany where he has acquired an estate in Montalcino.
Today it is Angelo’s children, Gaia, Rosanna and Giovanni, at the helm of this legendary estate. Their father revolutionised viticulture and vinification techniques in the region, but now it is his children who must tackle the current issue facing today’s winemakers – global warming. They have invested in collaborations with botanists and entomologists, as well as instigating academic research on their vineyards, looking for the best ways to tackle climate change.
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