Description

Barbaresco refers to the central part of Piedmont, located close to Alba. This designation area ranks among the most noble in Italy. It owes its international reputation to the incredible cuvées of Angelo Gaja in particular. Relatively lighter and softer than the neighbouring Barolo, yet still high in tannins and concentrated, Barbaresco is extremely distinguished and one of the best Italian wines. Angelo Gaja is without a question one of the biggest names in Italian wine. Born in 1940, in 1961 he took over the family estate in the Langhe hills in the Piedmont region that was founded in 1859. Today, he oversees around 100 hectares of vineyards and does not buy any grapes externally. Gaja was a key contributor to the international reputation of some of the greatest Piedmont wines, with the Barbaresco and Barolo wines in particular. He set himself apart from the competition thanks to new vinification and ageing techniques, which were deemed revolutionary at the time as it broke away from customary regional practices: selecting the very best plots, reducing yields, ageing in new French oak barrels instead of Yugoslavian oak casks.