Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo 1997 Gaja

Classification
Type	Rouge
Marque	Gaja
Millésime	1997
Pays	Italie
Région	Piémont
Raisin	Nebbiolo
Volume
État	Extrait de son coffret en bois d'origine
Étiquette	Parfait
Consommable	-2030
Stock	0

Avis professionnels

Robert Parker (96)

The merits and faults of the 1997 vintage have been debated endlessly. Some people love the wines for their rich round fruit, others find the wines atypical and overly ripe. My own feeling is that the vintage is simply uneven, and that there are exceptional wines that capture the best of the vintage and there are overripe, unbalanced wines that are by comparison much less complex. Without a doubt the1997 Gaja wines from the Barbaresco zone are among the very best wines of the vintage.

I recently had the opportunity to taste the 1997 single-vineyard wines from the Barbaresco area: Sori Tildin, Sori San Lorenzo and Costa Russi. All three are stunning, complex wines of great elegance and class that evolve beautifully in the glass, revealing layer after layer of flavor. The wines also share a youthfulness and freshness that suggests that they are in the very early stages of their development. While certainly enjoyable now, I wouldn’t touch another bottle for several years and hope to have the patience to wait well beyond that. Note: While the base Barbaresco bottling was not a part of this tasting, I have tasted that wine on a number of occasions and it is also worth seeking out. The wines were tasted blind.

Costa Russi and Sori Tildin are made from parcels within the Roncagliette vineyard while Sori San Lorenzo is produced from the Secondine cru, all of which are in the Barbaresco commune. Vinification is the same for all three wines: fermentations last for 15-20 days. The wines then pass into barriques for the malolactic fermentations, where they remain for a year. The second year of wood aging takes place in large casks. Since the 1996 vintage, the wines contain around 5% Barbera grapes used to balance acidity.

1997 Gaja Langhe Rosso Sori San Lorenzo —Color is again a rich dark ruby. Sori San Lorenzo is unquestionably the darkest and most backward of the wines. I also find it the most complex and fascinating in many ways. The wine is chameleon, at times it appears to be very delicate, and then a few minutes later it seems to be brooding and muscular. There is tremendous balance here between the rich dark fruits, toasted oak and spices, and the more backward flavors of tar, licorice, and balsam all of which are wrapped around an intense core of minerality. 96 points/drink 2007-2022

Winespectator (98)

Very dark ruby. Aromas of rose bush, black pepper and sliced plum. Full-bodied, with super-well-integrated tannins. They are big and rich, yet refined and polished. This still needs time to mellow. But what a wine. It keeps on changing in the glass, with loads of vanilla bean, fruit and herbs and then goes floral. Still needs time.--1997 Italian blind retrospective.