2013 Valletta

The transformation at Gagliole in recent years is nothing short of remarkable. Once a poster child for super-extracted, powerful wines, today Gagliole has moved towards a direction that emphasizes much more finesse than in the past while retaining a forward-looking style that is all its own. The credit for that goes to proprietor Thomas Bär for his vision as well as the considerable investments in the land, facilities and equipment required to make that happen. Long-time winemaker Stefano Chioccioli deserves credit for pulling the throttle back and working much more gently with the fruit than was once the norm. Today, the Gagliole wines are modern, sexy and absolutely impeccable, with none of the heaviness of the past and plenty of racy, voluptuous contours. Unfortunately I was not able to taste the 2012 Gagliole, which had been bottled just prior to my visit.