2019 Gaja, Barbaresco

It's happened only a few times in the past few decades!  

The 2019 Gaja Barbaresco is a windfall wine.  "Gaja did not bottle any other Barbaresco crus, opting to use the best lots for this bottling."  Vinous

Those crus (Gaja's most collectible Barbarescos, Sori Tilden and Sori San Lorenzo, fetching over $500 per bottle), have been declassified into this Nebbiolo windfall.  

Weather reduced the region's yields but didn't affect the quality!  Rather than make fewer single vineyard crus, the Gaja family made only one premium Barbaresco in 2019, a "stellar vintage."  Antonio Galloni   

For the 2019 vintage, there will be no single cru bottlings for Barbaresco, and all of the fruit has gone into the estate bottling. The 2019 Barbaresco is energetic and inviting, with aromatic notes of rose petal, ripe raspberry, and clove.  It offers fresh strawberry, orange pith, and dusty earth with fine-grained tannins.  Like all Gaja wines, there is an undeniable elegance even in its youth.  

Few, if any, producers make a finer Barbaresco.

If you've ever wanted an inkling of what $500 Nebbiolo tastes like, here is your chance.  Even though the 2019 Gaja Barbaresco contains its traditional estate Nebbiolo, the single-vineyard influence is palpable.

If you are new to Gaja, this is the vintage to begin your journey - you will realize it is worth every penny.

As always, these wines are gorgeous today.  But, if you can wait a few years, you will look back in awe and be thrilled that you added this trophy to your collection.

Enjoy!