This is my first non-Barolo from the Gaja family coming from (I think) their first estate in Tuscany, specifically within the Brunello AOC over 30 years ago. 2012 wasn’t the best vintage in the region with fairly extreme weather but I got this at a very reasonable price last year directly from BBR who have held it since release so provenance is basically perfect.
The few reviews I could find of things vintage suggested this was in or past its prime but my experience varied. I opened and within minutes the aromas were strong, fresh with lots of fruit and slight hint of pine but tight on the palate. I gave it an hour open in the bottle before trying against and whilst the fruit was starting to show I decided to decant for another hour. The next taste this was really starting to show and consumed the rest of the bottle over about two hours with Garlic and chilli prawns in olive oil and then Iberico Roast Pork with a tomato salad.
As you can see on the photos this was a lovely deep, bright, ruby colour, with just a hint of rim variation (photo was under warm lighting so probably slightly exaggerates). The nose was blackcurrant, initially fresh but as it opened up took on more of a stewed blackberry aroma with some black pepper and slight forest floor aroma.
The taste largely reflected the nose, with the initially tasting being fresh and almost crunchy, moving towards an almost dark fruit, predominantly blackberry, compote like you’d find at the bottom of a good autumn crumble. The flavour continued with black pepper and flint and nice balsamic finish adding just a touch of sweetness. The last glass was starting to show some stronger tertiary notes of forest floor, some deeper cooking spices with the finish remaining long which is why I feel this could still go another 3-5 years if cellared properly.
Overall, I’d rate this between 89-91 with the best glass of the vending hitting the high notes but an overall solid showing. The biggest challenge may be price range. I picked this up for £50 in store last year and at that cost this would be a no brainier for me if I saw again. However, I’m seeing online more recent vintages are around £80-100 which makes this more tricky. I appreciate 2012 wasn’t the best vintage for the region and that some of the ones available now may be stronger but there are other grata options in that price range. I think I will be exploring more of the Gaja families holdings in the region as part of my Tuscany learning.