1982 Gaja Barbaresco Costa Russi

Angelo Gaja’s wines are among the most distinctive in Italy, and as a businessman and winemaker, family patriarch Angelo Gaja has always been ahead of trends. A fourth-generation wine producer based in Piedmont, Gaja began advocating modern methods to improve the quality of Italian wines more than four decades ago, a time when most Italian producers were determined to simply make as much wine as possible, regardless of its quality. Much like Robert Mondavi in Napa Valley, Gaja wanted his wines to be in the same league as the best wines of France. His careful attention to quality began in the 1970s, and his single vineyard Barbarescos earned international attention instantly. By dropping appellations from his labels, he was also able to create blends, which are essentially Barbarescos or Barolos with very small amounts of Barbera added. Gaja’s most famous wines are his single vineyard Barbarescos, of which the 1982 Costa Russi has become a legendary tour de force in Italian winemaking.

Jancis Robinson - "Mid-Ruby with bricky rim. Smoky, firm and concentrated cherry fruit that could still open up more. Succulent yet closed on the palate with very fine gravelly tannins. Elegant and fine and yet still has the potential of opening up further. A beautiful wine." (WS)