April
11, 2008
Sassicaia
in Sardegna and 2004 Gaja Crus
In This Issue
A Note from Sergio
I don't spend as much time as I'd like walking through
Italian vineyards or sitting in the cellar of a romantic
castle discovering the next great wine. It's true that
I have the opportunity to do these things more often than
the average person, but it's not nearly often enough.
The truth is that I spend most of my days in my dark back
office, shivering from lack of heat, or in my home office
that doubles as our laundry room, glued to my laptop.
It's the price I have to pay in order to be able to visit
Italy, walk through vineyards, and taste amazing wine,
and it's worth it.
Whether it's to Piemonte or to Nantucket, I like traveling because traveling is an opportunity to meet old and new friends around the country or around the world. I often travel to appear at events-public events to promote Italian wine, private events to celebrate wine enthusiasts, and philanthropic events to raise money for charities, from The Waxman Cancer Research Foundation to Jazz Aspen. After my speaking engagements, I often get emails from people who wished they'd known about my event ahead of time. Because these events tend to sell out quickly, and because there's a bunch of really fun ones, I want to take the opportunity to give my clients a heads up on my spring and summer tour schedule. I'll
let you know as we add to this schedule. I look forward
to seeing you there! In the meantime, enjoy these new
selections that include Sassicaia's effort in Sardegna,
the crus of Angelo Gaja, and the rare vintage Taurasi
of Mastroberardino.
My best,
Sergio
For more accounts of Italian
wine, food
and life reserve my new book:
Passion On The Vine: a Memoir of Food,
Wine, and
Family in the Heart of Italy
Sassicaia
in Sardegna
 New
Arrival: Agricola Punica 2005 Montessu
Agricola
Punica 2005 Isola dei Nuraghi Montessu …$31.99
(Sardegna—Carignano, Cab. Sauvignon and Franc,
Merlot, Syrah)
Tenuta San Guido's Sassicaia and the island of Sardegna merged a few years ago
to form Agricola Punica. The 2005 vintage marks the debut of the estate's second
bottling, Montessu, which brings together Super-Tuscan sensibility and Sardegnian
flair—a little something Giacomo Tachis thought up when he was vacationing
on the Mediterranean island. When you consider some of the achievements of this
legendary winemaker—Sassicaia, Tignanello, Solaia, and Solengo—you
would think relaxation was the focus of the trip. Instead, Tachis found irresistible
inspiration under the Sardegnian sun.
The Tuscan legend grew enamored of the unspoiled land and set about changing
the winemaking landscape, much like he did in the pioneering days of the Super-Tuscan
movement. However, his focus in Sardegna was not exclusively on Bordeaux varietals.
Rather, Tachis sought to base his gentrification on one of Sardegna’s main
grapes, Carignano—a humble berry of Spanish origin that was likely brought
over during the days of Aragon rule. The Sardegnian terroir favors Carignano,
and with the sun boasting a daily running time of seven hours here, this grape
enjoys a rare chance to ripen to its fullest.
Convincing his Sassicaia colleagues—Marchese Nicolò Incisa della
Rocchetta and Sebastiano Rosa—of this grape’s affinity for Sardegnian
terroir, Tachis conceived Agricola Punica, a collaboration between Tenuta San
Guido and the Sardegnian cooperative Cantina Sociale di Santadi. Dedicated to
crafting Carignano–based wines, the venture bottled its first wine, Barrua
(85% Carignano), in 2002. Carignano reprises its leading role in Punica’s
follow-up, Montessu (60% Carignano), which also features 10% each Cabernet Sauvignon,
Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Syrah. Montessu rewards Tachis’ faith from
its opening phase, providing Carignano with the most flattering of introductions
in a pronounced nose of berry, currant, tar, and herbs. It draws back a bit on
the palate, but only initially—then those tannins relax and allow the wine’s
prune, plum, fig, and herbal profile to flesh out in satisfying Sardegnian splendor. Read More About Agricola Punica.
2004 Gaja Crus
 An
Icon & Mother Nature Combine for the Langhe's Finest
The 2004 vintage for Barbaresco is arguably unprecedented—a long growing
season and cool nights captured the concentration of a ripe vintage and married
it to superb structure. This riveting tension means that we’ve got two
superlative vintage scenarios—structured and ripe—working together
to stellar effect. Now consider this remarkable year in the context of a legendary
estate. In 2004 Barbaresco, we literally have a vintage that’s caught up
to the brilliant visionary who set about refashioning its identity in the late
1960s—Angelo Gaja. In creating a new, provocative image for this virtually
unknown commune through the radical introduction of barrique and cru bottlings,
practices that enraged Piemonte but captured the worldly audience he sought,
Gaja brought Barbaresco far from its previous obscurity. Now, he’s paid
back manifold with a vintage that has risen up to meet his vision with
crystal clarity and sensuous style.
As with all Gaja wines from profound vintages, each of these ’04 crus will
realize a prodigious maturation period, marked by a simultaneous appreciation
in value.
Classic, nuanced, and elegant: this single-vineyard expression in Gaja’s
cru Barbaresco trio—the second to be bottled individually (1970)—owns
these terms, and in a vintage like 2004, it literally defines them, carrying
itself across the palate with graceful deportment and refinement. This procession
recalls the elegance of 2001, yet does so with ’04’s stylistic sensibility,
delivering a layered, intricate perfume of roses, earth, and tar. Gaja believes
that 2004 is most accomplished with respect to its elegance—a quality that,
in his opinion, simply eludes the majority of vintages. It is a particularly
notable accomplishment in ’04, given the vintage’s high yields. This
unusual disparity between quality and yield put Gaja in mind of the 1964 and
1990 vintages when seeking a point of reference for the character of 2004.
Sorì Tildìn and Gaja’s Costa Russi parcels comprise the Barbaresco
commune’s Roncagliette Vineyard, which has been owned by the Gaja family
since 1967. As with all of Gaja’s cru Barbarescos, Sorì Tildìn’s
aging regimen entails a three-week maceration period in stainless steel tanks,
followed by a year of aging in barrique and one year’s refinement in cask.
Gaja’s Sorì San Lorenzo is the dark one of the trio, prone to intense
brooding and a rather backward-looking view of things. The first of the crus
to be bottled individually (1967), Sorì San Lorenzo typically requires
the most patience of the three bottlings, despite the fact that it often belies
its restraint in aromatic effusiveness. The ’04 continues to dissemble
in this seductive manner, yet the wine’s powerful framework checks such
behavior and pulls the San Lorenzo back into a state of grand incipience. It
settles into thoughtful repose here, choosing to emphasize its studied state
of refinement—yet another element that it works to grand effect in ’04.
It’s content to remain here for quite some time and promises to gradually
admit approach over the next decade, likely continuing its evolution through
the close of the following decade.
Angelo’s father, Giovanni, had sourced fruit from San Lorenzo prior to
Angelo’s formal acquisition of the plot in 1964, believing that it possessed
the highest quality fruit in the Barbaresco commune. It is, truly, a premier
cru…
Though situated right alongside Sorì Tildìn in Roncagliette, Costa
Russi, which was the third cru Barbaresco to take its place in the portfolio
(1978), inspires a new lexicon, headlined by terms such as accessible, overt,
and generous. In many ways, Costa Russi juxtaposes Sorì Tildìn,
fleshing out the other side of 2004’s persona through expressive and seductive
fruits. While the ’03 Costa Russi took this demonstrative nature into full-blown
opulence, and therefore somewhat obscured Gaja’s trademark elegance, ’04
recovers that quality with rare aplomb. Indeed, that restraint is an essential
element of Gaja Barbaresco: In 1996, Gaja forewent the Barbaresco designation
for all three crus by adding a minor percentage (5 to 8 percent, depending on
the vintage) of Barbera to each bottling. This controversial stylistic technique
was intended to heighten the wine’s acidity and approachability, as well
as better equipping it to handle the vagaries of a given vintage.
True to its nature, the ’04 Russi is generously disposed on a fundamental
level, making this the first of the ’04 Gaja crus to deliver the vintage's
virtuosity. Read More About Gaja.
Largest
Gaja Collection Available
Barbaresco(Nebbiolo)
Langhe Nebbiolo (Nebbiolo,
Barbera)
Darmagi (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot,
Cabernet Franc)
Gaia & Rey and Rossj-Bass
(Chardonnay)
Alteni di Brassica (Sauvignon
Blanc)
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