Gaja Sperss 1993

 I continue my year of Piedmontese bliss. This was extraordinary for what wasn't there - food. It screamed for some manner of rich game dish, or truffles, or a mushroom risotto, or SOMETHING. And I didn't have anything. And that made me sad.

Still very young colour. A bit of tawny purple with the ruby.

Sandy, dusty, cherries and a touch of pomegranate. There's a classic, dusty Victorian office about the whole thing- leather and mahogany. There's something very juicy under it all as well.

Gentle, supple, touch sweet cherry, grainy, leathery. So much about feeling. Silk, satin and suede, with that gentle, juicy cherry fruit that just slips along the tongue, and yet there's a power underneath, I know with the right food this would just lift up beautifully.

****(*)

Tasted 5 November 2012 at The Sampler.

 

Buy My Book. Please.

Gaja Barbaresco 1995 (half bottle)

I wish I had made it my New Year's resolution to drink more wines from Angelo Gaja, because that's what seems to be happening this year, much to my delight.

Still quite young looking. Pale, but vibrant. No Nebbiolo browning as yet.

Nose is forest and forest fruits that turn to cherries, with a bit of roasted herb. Beguiling stuff.

The palate doesn't follow through. It's good. There's that crunchy grip, but it seems a touch dried out. The finish does not linger, and stops a bit short. It's still charming and has bright spots, but is past it, sadly.

**

Tasted 28 July 2012 at The Sampler

Gaja Barolo 2007

Opened recently at my local wine merchant. Don't know what I'm going to do when I don't have them to call on anymore. 

Great colour: dark, translucent and bloody.

Bright red and dark fruit nose with tar and suede and a touch of smoke.

Forward and sexy but in a classic way, which matches up with what I know about 2007 as a vintage. It's taut, fleshy and well-integrated, with the tannins forming a grippy lattice around crunchy dark cherries. This will soften and get more elegant, but I really like its crunchy grip at the moment.

****

Tasted at Luvians, 13 July 2012

Gaja Costa Russi 1998

A winemaking friend of mine celebrated his birthday on Sunday, and a few assorted trade folks brought some odd bottles. Some were curiosities, some were donations from absent friends, unable to attend. As wine pot-lucks go, the quality was fantastic. We hid happily under the gazebos, sheltered from the rain, swigging cracking plonk whilst eating as much from the grill as possible.

One wine stood out among some rather daunting competition. This was opened later in the day, after the crowd had thinned.

The beginning of rust on the rim, with a warm dark blood ruby.


Cured meat, truffle, fig and mushroom with forest detritus and a hint of cherries. Heady, rich and promising.

Rich, cured red fruit, knotted and layered with incredible power and delicacy. You tug on it in the mouth, grabbing at each phase of the palate. Tar and evergreen forest wrapped in juicy black cherries and cranberries. Dry and longingly rasping, like a kiss at the end of a long night. Incredible.

*****

Tasted on the Trelawney Estate, Hackney, 8 July 2012

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