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Price:
HK$2,720.00
Item is pre-arrival.
A representative will contact
you to confirm.
.75 Liter
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Gaja Costa Russi 1998
Varietal: Nebbiolo Blend
Region: Piemonte
About the Producer
hile rooted in the tradition of the Langhe, Angelo Gaja has enriched
this foundation with an openminded sensibility that marries traditional
practices and technological innovation, thereby extending Piemonte’s
international reach. His philosophy recognizes the Nebbiolo grape’s
inherent capacity for creative expression, which enables it to
accommodate the market’s desire for both oak-driven and tannic styles.
(That said, however, it is important to note that his wines are never
obfuscated by over-extraction or oak.) Though he has his detractors,
their opposition has proved innocuous, as Gaja’s wines rival the
world’s most acclaimed and sought-after bottlings. While regarded as
expensive on release, they continue to appreciate, trading at premium
prices and invariably elevating the price standard in Piemonte.
The
Gaja estate’s qualitative supremacy and cachet are not solely
attributable to Angelo. In fact, his father’s 1961 Barbaresco may be
the most profound bottling of its designation ever to be produced. The
Gaja name represents a legacy of quality that has evolved since the
family emigrated from Spain over 300 years ago. Angelo maintained his
family’s high standards of production while inaugurating a new
stylistic direction—more often than not through measures that incited
controversy. Foremost among these was his inaugural use of barrique in
the vinification of his 1975 Barbaresco cuvée. Gaja is widely credited
with having instituted this practice, the objective of which is to
soften the formidable tannins of the Nebbiolo grape, thereby producing
a wine that is richer and more concentrated in its fruit expression
than traditional models. Other early efforts included the reduction of
crop size, shortened pruning of Nebbiolo vines, and decreased
fermentation periods.
The 1967 debut release of Sorì San Lorenzo
began his pioneering work with the vinification of single-vineyard
wines. This was succeeded by two additional crus, Sorì Tildin (1970)
and Costa Russi (1978), both of which derive from the Roncagliette
Vineyard. Each member of this legendary trio is both recognized for
achieving a substantive period of maturation and avidly sought on the
collector’s market, where all invariably enjoy a substantive degree of
appreciation. Gaja didn’t stop there, however, going on to defy
Piemonte’s varietal protocol by relaunching Cabernet Sauvignon’s
presence in the region after nearly a century-long absence, a
revolutionary act captured in the vineyard’s name, Darmagi—
meaning“what a pity”—the expression his father would utter when he
passed by the spot, formerly a Nebbiolo site. He continued to elicit
unrest and disapprobation through his dedicated planting of Chardonnay
in the Gaia & Rey Vineyard (1981), the source of his now famous
eponymous bottling. This was followed shortly thereafter by a vineyard
for Sauvignon Blanc—Alteni di Brassica.
As controversial as
these acts may have been on an insular level, they ultimately
constituted the fountainhead of Piemonte’s emergence on the world
scene. Gaja didn’t merely implement modern approaches, he actively
sought to draw attention to the Piemonte he was refashioning through
savvy marketing techniques. In so doing, he fashioned an attractive,
worldly identity for Piemonte in general and Barbaresco in particular,
the latter of which had no identity to speak of in the late 1960s.
Through it all, Gaja has steadfastly maintained a passionate commitment
to fashioning a traditional Barbaresco cuvée—a profound homage to both
his grandfather and father—that remains a defining expression in the
genre. He also possesses property in the La Morra and Serralunga areas
of Barolo, the sources, respectively, of his Conteisa and Sperss
Nebbiolo Langhe bottlings. |
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