by Aris Sklavenitis (Oenologist)

The Gaja winery has a long history that dates back to 1859. Started by Giovanni Gaja, it is located in the Piemonte region and more specifically in the Barbaresco region. Angelo Gaja started his involvement with the family business in 1961 and is a fifth generation oenologist with his daughters and son actively following the sixth generation transition.

Angelo was an innovative man, he was one of the first to start bottling single vineyards (single vineyards) from the Barbaresco area, as well as “daring” to plant international varieties such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, in an area that the king is the red Italian Nebbiolo variety. When Angelo’s father, found out what his son did, he used the term “darmagi” which means “what a shame…what a shame…” and the demon Angelo called this wine Darmagi, releasing it on the market for the first time in 1982, making one of his most successful wines.

In 1994 he bought the winery Pieve Santa Restituta in the area of ​​Brunello di Montalcino, in 1996 he has the winery Ca’ Marcanda in the area of ​​Bolgheri, while relatively recently in 2017 he started his new project in the area of ​​Etna “IDDA” which means ” she’ in the Sicilian dialect.

Gaja winery is great because apart from excellent wines, it also gives back to society by helping institutions in the following way. The winery until 2013 was closed to the public and visitors with the rare exception of partners and other wine people. After many years of continuous requests from wine lovers to visit the winery, they decided that to those who really want to, they send a list of various non-profit organizations (so that the amount of the donation goes directly through and is not taxed) and with the donation of 300 euros per person , they can visit the winery and taste old and new vintages.

The Darmagi vineyard was planted in 1978 by Angelo, in the heart of Barbaresco with the Cabernet Sauvignon variety, with the aim of tapping into the area’s potential to produce top quality wines from foreign varieties. A wine with a deep purple color, aromas of intense fresh black fruits such as cherry, currant, plum and blueberry. It is also aged for 24 months in barrel, which gives it aromas of oak, smoke and spice, with the botanical element evident. In the mouth it is dry with balanced acidity, high tannins, rich body, long aftertaste and tremendous aging potential. A wine he would like next to him, a Bistecca Fiorentina at least!!!

Score: 19.0/20

20 – Really excellent
19 – Top wine
18 – A superior quality wine with particular depth
17 – A superior quality wine
16 – A high quality wine with aging potential
15 – A wine that is pleasant to drink without flaws