Barbaresco DOCG Costa Russi Angelo Gaja 1979

Lot presentation

Barbaresco DOCG Costa Russi Angelo Gaja 1979

The wine

This cuvée undergoes malolactic fermentation in new Hungarian barrels of 225 or 300 litres. Ageing in barrels lasts 14 months. The wines are left to rest for 12 months prior to being put on the market.

Angelo Gaja is probably one of the greatest names in Italian winemaking. Born in 1940, he took over the family vineyard in 1961 in the hilly Langhe region of the Piedmont which can trace its roots back to 1859. The winemaker learnt his trade alongside Guido Rivella, a brilliant oenologist from Piedmont. Angelo now manages approximately 100 hectares of wines and does not buy in any grapes. His children, Giovanni, Gaia and Rossana represent the fifth generation to work at the estate. Gaja was instrumental in raising the international profile of fine Piedmontese wines, notably Barbarescos and Barolos, with his distinctive use of new vinification techniques and ageing methods, at odds with regional practices at the time: choosing the best parcels, reducing yields, and using new French oak casks instead of Yugoslavian oak barrels. His best Barbaresco parcels now produce some of the finest wines in Italy (Sori Tildin, Sori San Lorenzo, and Costa Russi). He was also the first winegrower to plant Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay, as well as Sauvignon Blanc instead of Nebbiolo, contrary to the advice of his peers.