Alcohol 14.5 %
Tasted 2015-08-01
Glorious. The 2007 Gaja Barbaresco.
Dark medium ruby red with some garnet red rims. Classical Piedmont nose: Ripe red fruits, tobacco, dry Cinzano, wood herbs. Extremely fruity and wonderfully fresh. The fruits are dominating and glide smoothly to the very long end. This wine has no edges and flaws. It's a charmer. After two hours the characteristic is changing. More and more the wine opens up. The herb notes are now perfectly integrated into the fruit aromas. Extraordinary! There is nothing, nothing from the typical tannin dominated Piedmont hardness and severity. It fills the complete mouth with a silky but still fresh harmony.
The 2007 vintage is listed as very good but not outstanding. The summer was very hot and there was a lot of dryness. Similar to 2006, but in this year September rains led to a very great vintage. So if you are looking for a long-living Gaja Barbaresco take the 2006. I prefer the 2007. Very rarely I drunk a wine more balanced than this one. Gaja wines are too expensive? Perhaps. This bottle provided me with joy and awe in parallel. What better you can say about a wine?
At the moment absolutely perfect to drink - after two hours decanting. But I believe it is still not on the top. Perhaps in five years. Total lifetime? 20+. And a better partner for Vitello tonnato is very difficult to find.
A milestone in my wine history.
