2017 Gaja Barbaresco

JS97 Glorious aromas of flowers, crushed berries, strawberries and dried herbs. Some tea. Full-bodied and layered with a wonderfully curated, polished tannin structure and backbone. Give it three or four years to soften. Try after 2023.
WA95 The Gaja 2017 Barbaresco is nuanced and delicate with ever-expanding aromatic intensity that amply fills the balloon of your glass. The wine takes a little while to open fully, and it slowly releases forest berry, powdered licorice, toasted aniseed, spearmint, dried lavender and rosemary essence to build a lasting bouquet. The mouthfeel is streamlined and almost steely, with an extremely linear approach that adds to its length and persistency. The tannins are tucked into the wine’s delicate fiber, but you do feel the extra textural firmness of the hot vintage nonetheless. As we have seen in past vintages, more definition is added by a pretty mineral note that is a common thread in these wines from Gaja. Production is 38,000 bottles.
Estate Notes: Vineyards: 14 vineyards situated in the municipality of Barbaresco. The land, at a height between 820 and 1,080 feet above sea level, covers a surface of 53 acres. On average, the plants are 40 years old.
Varietals: 100% Nebbiolo – 100% Estate 
Aroma: The 2017 Barbaresco nose is generous and flowery with notes of rose, liquorice and blood orange. It is showing intense red and black fruit driven by aromas of strawberry, sour black cherry and mulberry. 
Taste: The palate is fleshy, loaded with the same fruity notes raising from the glass. The fine-grained tannins balance the acidity and lead to a wine with a considerable volume on the palate. The finish is lingering and 
elegantly sweet. 2017 was a warm vintage, but the classic Gaja Barbaresco structure and texture are there due to the freshness and vibrancy of this wine.
Winemaking: The grapes, coming from each single vineyard, separately undergo fermentation, maceration & ageing in oak for 12 months. Then they are blended and further age in oak for another 12 months.