Gaja Barbaresco 2007
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The wine is garnet in color.
The nose is almost sensual in its complexity, with aromas of forest fruits, plums, licorice, mineral and coffee scents.
On the palate, long, complex finish with fine, silk-like tannins and good acidity; dense structure, full of super-ripe fruit.
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
This is the wine that made Angelo Gaja a household name worldwide. Made according to a Barbaresco tradition, the wine reveals itself slowly at first and doles out small aromas of wild berry, licorice, root beer, smoke and graphite that become magically more intense with time in the glass. The acidity, tannic factor and overall sophistication show harmony and masterful balance. Hold until 2018, at least.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
All readers need to do is taste the 2007 Barbaresco to get a sense of the promise the vintage holds at Gaja. Soft and seamless on the palate, the Barbaresco shows wonderful integrity in its fruit in an opulent, yet mid-weight style. Fragrant, perfumed aromatics are woven throughout, while an attractive spiciness develops in the glass. There is incredible depth to the fruit and simply phenomenal overall balance. Readers will not want to miss this Barbaresco; arguably Gaja's finest since 1997. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2032.
-
Wine & Spirits
From Angelo Gaja's estate, this Barbaresco is bold and beautiful in 2007. Sweet tannin, earth and mushroom flavors tumble out of its bosky cherry fruit, at moments voluptuous and heady, at others under tight control. There's a touch of greenness to this vintage, a fresh tobacco-like edge that's gracefully incorporated into the fruit. For now, depending on when you catch it, the tannin or the fruit may be dominant, the wine needing ten years or more to settle in. Already quite beautiful, this will reward aging.
-
Wine Spectator
Bright, rich and powerful, boasting oak spice that adds interest to its cherry, licorice and tobacco flavors. Shows fine intensity and a chewy texture. Initially a little dry on the finish, but with extended aeration, this gets better and better, with a long aftertaste of sweet spice. Best from 2013 through 2028.
Other Vintages
2020-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine & -
Dunnuck
Jeb - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Wong
Wilfred
-
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine - Decanter
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine & -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Spirits
Wine & -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert -
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
Perched atop a steep hill in the Langhe sits the small village of Barbaresco, home of the GAJA winery. The story of the GAJA Winery can be traced to a singular, founding purpose: to produce original wines with a sense of place which reflect the tradition and culture of those who made it. This philosophy has inspired five generations of impeccable winemaking. It started over 150 years ago when Giovanni Gaja opened a small restaurant in Barbaresco, making wine to complement the food he served. In 1859, he founded the Gaja Winery, producing some of the first wine from Piedmont to be bottled and sold outside the region. Since that time, the winery has been shaped by each generation’s hand, notably that of Clotilde Rey, Angelo Gaja’s grandmother. Her passion for uncompromising quality influenced and informed Angelo Gaja. Through Angelo, these values have become the cornerstone of the GAJA philosophy and are engrained in every aspect of wine production
In 1961, Angelo Gaja began his mission of bringing this great winery to an even higher level. He was the first to use barriques, 225-liter French oak barrels. Under his direction, GAJA pioneered the production of single-vineyard designated wines and was the first to plant Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc varietals in Piedmont. He was also instrumental in elevating the native Nebbiolo grape to world-class esteem.
Angelo Gaja is joined by the fifth generation of the GAJA family – his daughters Gaia and Rossana and his son Giovanni. Together they continue to advance the winery’s legacy. To fully realize their vision, all GAJA wines are produced exclusively from grapes grown in estate-owned vineyards, including 250 acres in Piedmont’s Barbaresco and Barolo districts as well as estates in Pieve Santa Restituta (Montalcino) and Ca’Marcanda (Bolgheri). It is from these storied vineyards, and their terroir – the combination of soil, weather and vines that grow upon them, that GAJA wines reveal their true heart and soul.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
A wine that most perfectly conveys the spirit and essence of its place, Barbaresco is true reflection of terroir. Its star grape, like that in the neighboring Barolo region, is Nebbiolo. Four townships within the Barbaresco zone can produce Barbaresco: the actual village of Barbaresco, as well as Neive, Treiso and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio.
Broadly speaking there are more similarities in the soils of Barbaresco and Barolo than there are differences. Barbaresco’s soils are approximately of the same two major soil types as Barolo: blue-grey marl of the Tortonion epoch, producing more fragile and aromatic characteristics, and Helvetian white yellow marl, which produces wines with more structure and tannins.
Nebbiolo ripens earlier in Barbaresco than in Barolo, primarily due to the vineyards’ proximity to the Tanaro River and lower elevations. While the wines here are still powerful, Barbaresco expresses a more feminine side of Nebbiolo, often with softer tannins, delicate fruit and an elegant perfume. Typical in a well-made Barbaresco are expressions of rose petal, cherry, strawberry, violets, smoke and spice. These wines need a few years before they reach their peak, the best of which need over a decade or longer. Bottle aging adds more savory characteristics, such as earth, iron and dried fruit.