Three Gajas From Italy

A recent virtual tasting event spotlighted the wines of the Gaja family in Italy.  Wine.com staged the tasting for consumers and writers, and I was honored with an invitation.  Host Gwendolyn Osborn, a Wine.com wine educator, led the discussion.  Adding to the event were appearances by owner Angelo Gaja, his daughter Gaia and son Giovanni.  The three wines featured were Ca'Marcanda Magari, Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino, and Gaja DaGromis Barolo.  They are imported in the U.S. by Terlato.

Angelo Gaja - a self-described artisan - is the heart of his family wine business, which was started three generations before him.  Wine.com says he single-handedly gave the Barbaresco appellation worldwide esteem, established the use of barrique aging and was a pioneer in planting international grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay in Piedmont.  His daughter and son represent the fifth generation to enter the family business.  The Gaja winemaker is listed as Guido Rivella.

Ca’Marcanda Magari Bolgheri 2018

The Gaja's Ca'Marcanda property is in the Tuscan commune of Castagneto Carducci, in Bolgheri, in the Maremma region.  The vineyard was acquired in 1996 and is the Gaja home for  international grape varieties.  This wine is a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Petit Verdot, although Gaia says the percentages can vary from vintage to vintage.  Alcohol tips only 14% abv

This inky ruby-colored wine offers up a nose as dark as its hue.  Black cherry, tar and old leather mix in with tobacco and vanilla notes.  There is an herbal element, too, which gives a sort of minty framework for the aromas.  The palate is a juicy array of dark fruit with a touch of anise and salinity.  The tannins are fine and smooth and the finish brings those dark berry flavors back for a lengthy review.

Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino 2015

Pieve Santa Restituta was the family's first Tuscan property, bought by Gaja in 1994.  The white, rocky soils were no good for the crops the one-time sharecroppers planted, but Gaja found that the poor dirt was perfect for grapes.  The estate was named after the parish church - pieve in Italian - of Saint Restituta.  The Sangiovese wine hits 14.5% abv

This Brunello is medium dark red in color.  The nose shows cherry and cassis aromas, draped in anise, cedar, vanilla and a layer of smoke.  The palate is fruity and carries a good acidity and tannic structure.  A spicy streak cuts through with an herbal character.  The finish is long and brings the savory aspect back for a reminder.

Gaja DaGromis Barolo 2016

The Gaja family owns 250 acres of vineyards in Piedmont, in the Barbaresco and Barolo districts.  The Barolo plots - Serralunga d'Alba and La Morra - is where the Nebbiolo grapes grew for the DaGromis wine.  The grapes were harvested and vinified separately, then aged separately in oak for 12 months, then blended and aged further for 18 months in big oaken casks.  Alcohol sits at 14% abv.

This Barolo shows its garnet color turning to that of bricks.  The nose is soft and savory, with an earthy presence to frame the cherry and floral flavors.  The palate shows red fruit and licorice with a hefty dose of citrus minerality.  Oak spice plays a role, as does the wine’s great tannic structure.  The finish is long lasting and centered on the savory side.

Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter

Brunello Di Montalcino

The Tenuta di Sesta vineyards are in the southern part of Montalcino, where the warm Tuscan breezes keep the cold north winds off the grapes.  The winery has been managed since 1995 by Giovanni Ciacci, who has now brought his children into the business the way his father and grandfather did.

The 2015 Tenuta di Sesta Brunello di Montalcino DOCG is made from Sangiovese grapes known locally as Sangiovese Grosso, Brunello di Montalcino - or simply, Brunello.  The wine is fermented in steel tanks, then transferred to oak barrels for aging that takes 30 months.  Traditional aging occurs in Slavonian oak barrels, which is thought to be better wood for lengthy aging as the aromas are imparted more slowly.  The wine ages another twelve months in the bottle.  Alcohol tips the scale at 14.5% abv and the average price for a bottle is about $40.

The wine shows a medium ruby tint in the glass.  The nose gives off aromas of black cherry and licorice, plum and tobacco.  It is as complex as one might imagine for a wine which spent two and a half years in oak.  On the palate, there is red fruit along with some savory notes of earth and oak spice.  The tannins are supple and the acidity is refreshing.  This is a wine to pair with a special steak or game dish.

Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter

Nuts To Dry January - I'm Drinking Wine

Dry January is so unnecessary.  And so unhappy.  If someone drinks so much that they need to take a month off from it, I feel for them.  Please, drink less and enjoy more.  It was during this social media-driven hiatus that I was given a wonderful Italian wine by Elizabeth and Joe.  I don’t think they were dumping it because it was January, though.  It was a very nice New Year's gift from them.  Movie buffs - especially fans of the horror genre - will want find out more about them at Trailers From Hell.

Fortunately, I hadn't stopped drinking for the month so I opened it right away and swigged from the bottle.  Just kidding.

Here's the story Il Valentiano tells of its history, made short and sweet.  Savino Ciacci got married at the beginning of the 20th Century.  Then came a child, Dino, then a world war which claimed Savino's life.  Ten-year-old Dino became the head of a family, and later a tenant farmer.  Silvano was born, then another war.  After WWII, Dino was able to buy the land he'd been working for so long and handed it over to his son.  In the 1970s, Fabiano was born and now leads the business as the next generation in the town of Montalcino.  His wife, Valentina, is reortedly one of the only true scientists in the area.  "Il Valentiano" is a mashup of her name and her husband's.

The 2013 Il Valentiano "Campo di Marzo" is a Brunello di Montalcino, a Sangiovese wine made in Tuscany.  The grapes are crushed by foot, fermented and aged for two to three years in oak.  A bottle retails for around $30.

This wine is a beautiful Sangiovese, dark and smelling of cherries soaked in vanilla, spices - the whole rack - and leathery tobacco pouch.  The mouthfeel is lively and tannic, with cherry and plum flavors on the palate.  A a savory taste goes hand in hand with the fruit, earthy and brawny.  I'll have it with a Bolognese dish, or steak.

Follow Randy Fuller on Twitter