2006 Gaia & Rey

x000D According to Gaja, global warming has been beneficial for the wines of Barbaresco. "Before 1996 there was a big gap in quality between Barolo and Barbaresco," he told me. "Barolo was routinely a degree higher in alcohol-say 12.5% vs. 11.5%, or 13% vs. 12%. But today Barbaresco is commonly 13.5%, or even higher. In fact, now consumers are asking for wines with lower alcohol. But it's wrong to blame the grower for this; it's the climate." Interestingly, Gaja does not find a significant difference between the 2007 and 2006 vintages for his big nebbiolo wines, although he described the 2006s as "more Piemontese." The 2007 single-vineyard wines will be at their best 8 to 15 years after the vintage, says Gaja. "I'm not a great fan of very old wines, even Burgundy or Bordeaux," he told me. "I find Burgundy between 8 and 12 years old and Bordeaux between 9 and 15 to be at their most expressive stage for matching with food." Gaja notes that 2005 was much better for Barbaresco than for Barolo, as much of the harvest in Barbaresco was finished before the last damaging rains in early October, including all of his own nebbiolo from Barbaresco. Gaja continues to include about 5% barbera in his cru bottlings from Barbaresco, and a bit more in his Sperss (6%) and Conteisa (8%).

I was blown away by Angelo Gaja's 2005 wines from Barbaresco. When all is said and done, Gaja may have well produced not the wine, but rather the wines of the vintage in a year that was excellent but not profound. While Gaja's 2005 don't have the explosive, multi-dimensional personalities of his 2004s, they are vibrant offerings that will thrill readers who Piedmont wines. As always, Gaja blends in a small percentage of Barbera in his single-vineyard wines, but that is hardly noticeable in this vintage. I also noted less new oak than has generally been the case in the recent past. The wines showcase very pure expressions of Nebbiolo and are made in a style that appears to make fewer concessions to the decidedly international approach of previous vintages. In short, these are the most Piedmontese wines I have tasted from Angelo Gaja in a long time. Could it be that the greatest innovator in Piedmont over the last thirty five-plus years has taken a small step towards a more classic style?