Gaja
Barbaresco Sorì San
Lorenzo
[gah-yah soh-(l)ree sahn
lo-(l)rehn-zo]
Sorì San Lorenzo—Angelo Gaja’s first cru Barbaresco—marks
the inception of Gaja’s pioneering efforts to elicit the
latent potential and character of the Nebbiolo grape by vinifying
and promoting single-vineyard Barbaresco.
Sorì San Lorenzo was first vinified in 1967, and then
released in 1970 along with Gaja's second cru —Sorì
Tilden. Sorì San Lorenzo holds special favor with the
winemaker not only because it was his first single-vineyard
Barbaresco, but also because he feels the land
consistently rewards him with quality wine—even
in mediocre vintages. In fact, a book was even
dedicated to the eminence of the Sorì San Lorenzo plot—The
Vines of San Lorenzo by Edward Steinberg, published by Slow
Food in 1996.
The word Sorì means a hilltop with a southern
exposure, and San Lorenzo is the patron saint of Alba
(the source and inspiration for the wine’s name). Angelo’s
father, Giovanni Gaja, believed the fruit from this plot represented
the best Barbaresco had to offer, and had acquired grapes from
this vineyard long before Angelo actually purchased the land
from the church in 1964. Of the estate’s three single-vineyard
Barbaresco, the Sorì San Lorenzo is the sentimental favorite
of Angelo and his winemaker, Guido Rivella.
It was among the first wines in the Langhe to be vinified and
promoted as a single-vineyard cru. It is also the most
concentrated and powerful the Gaja’s three single-vineyard
Barbaresco. Unlike Gaja’s other cru Barbaresco—of
which fruit is sourced from the vineyards of Roncagliette—Nebbiolo
for Sorì San Lorenzo is sourced from the Secondine Vineyard
which imparts the wine with more potent tannins, rendering it
considerably more austere in its youth. Sorì San Lorenzo
is set in calcareous clay soil on south facing slopes on the
southeastern edge of the Barbaresco area. Fermentation typically
lasts 15-20 days. The wine is then placed in barrique for
malolactic fermentation and remains there for a year before spending
another year aging in large casks.
Powerful and austere, the Sorì San Lorenzo demands time
to fully realize its potential. From the 1996 vintage on, Sorì San
Lorenzo has been classified as Langhe DOC and not listed as Barbaresco
DOCG due to the addition of Barbera.
|
Buy Sorì San Lorenzo
Wine: Barbaresco
Producer: Gaja
Varietal(s): Nebbiolo, with small percentage of Barbera Region: Piemonte
Province: Cuneo
Commune: Barbaresco
Vineyard(s): Sorì San Lorenzo (Secondine)
Altitude: 260 meters
Exposure: Southeast
Classification: Langhe DOC
First Year: 1970
Bottle Production: 12,000 bottles from choice vintages
More Landmark Wines:
Gaja Sorì Tildin
Gaja Costa Russi
Gaja Barbaresco
|
