Gaja Barbaresco Costa Russi 2015 750ml

#54 TOP 100 CELLAR SELECTIONS 2019. Aromas of rose, violet, red berry and baking spice mingle with a whiff of menthol on the nose of this compelling, gorgeous red. The vibrant, full-bodied palate is all about flair and finesse, delivering crushed raspberry, Marasca cherry, licorice and a hint of tobacco, all framed by taut, fine-grained tannins. Young and intense, it will be ideal after a few more years of aging, but will continue to develop for decades. Drink 2023–2040.

• Country: Italy
• Region: Piedmont
• Appellation: Barbaresco
• Size: 750ml
• Color: Red

Varietal

Nebbiolo

The Nebbiolo grape varietal is widely understood to be the fruit responsible for Italy’s finest aged wines. However, its popularity and reliability as a grape which gives out outstanding flavors and aromas has led it to be planted in many countries around the world, with much success. These purple grapes are distinguishable by the fact that they take on a milky dust as they begin to reach maturity, leading many to claim that this is the reason for their unusual name, which means ‘fog’ in Italian. Nebbiolo grapes produce wines which have a wide range of beautiful and fascinating flavors, the most common of which are rich, dark and complex, such as violet, truffle, tobacco and prunes. They are generally aged for many years to balance out their characteristics, as their natural tannin levels tend to be very high.