2010 Alteni di Brassica

Sisters Gaia and Rossana Gaja are playing increasingly important roles at their family's wineries in Piedmont and in Tuscany. My sense is that the wines are starting to become a little less intense and more lifted now that the Gaja sisters are more involved. It is too soon to know for sure if the 2010s reflect the vintage or a real move towards a slightly more refined approach, but there is no question the wines are a bit different than in previous years. That was quite evident when I tasted the 1978 Barbaresco recently. That was an exuberant, powerful wine made by a young man trying to carve a place out for himself among the world's elite. Although today's challenges are quite different, Gaia and Rossana Gaja have all the determination of their father, Angelo, and the steely resolve of their mother, Lucia Gaja, who has operated out of the spotlight for decades, but whose importance can't possibly be understated. I won't be surprised if Gaja wines become a bit more classic in the coming years.