CA’ MARCANDA VISTA
MARE 2016
Grapes: 60% Vermentino,
40% Viognier
Taste: The blend is Gaja’s ode
to Toscana, using varieties
fermented separately and
with a different composition
each year. The 2016 brings
concentration, and is floral
and fleshy with a white stone
fruit freshness. The structure
lends it well to white meat
dishes and can be enjoyed
young. $82GAJA SITO MORESCO 2016
Grapes: 35% Nebbiolo, 25%
Merlot, 25% Barbera, 15%
Cabernet Sauvignon
Taste: Fine tannins and a pure,
joyful fruit profile mark this wine
as approachable, even as it reveals
subtle depths of Mediterranean
herbs and a saline, smoky
finish. The site’s four varieties
are fermented and macerated
separately, then blended and aged
in oak for 12 months. Decant for
enjoyment with meat pasta or
mild game. $92GAJA BARBARESCO 2014
Grapes: 100% Nebbiolo
Taste: Despite the wet
vintage, Gaja’s Barbaresco
from 14 different parcels is
an opus of perfumed red
fruit, hints of pepper and
mint, and fresh acidity. Silky
tannins and a balsamic
finish complete the perfect
balance. One to keep for
20 years; decant if drinking
earlier. $265
Available from Pinnacle Wine & Spiritscatches your attention right away; it’s almost like flowing, aromatic,
tasty water!”
Working with Angelo for the past 15 years has brought their
two minds together on how to approach pressing problems, such
as climate change. An early attempt by Gaia to turn to biodynamics
was vetoed by Angelo in favour of a learning approach, one which
Gaia currently admits is the better path for them. In the spirit and
respect of biodynamic principles, the vineyard is teeming with life,
from their own composting that nourishes the soil, to ‘insect hotels’
and cypress trees that bring back bird life. The aim is not just
vine health but overall organism health as an indicator of healthy
grapes, with collaborators ranging from botanists and apiarists to
students from the University of Bologna who are fighting diseases.
“I am the same age now as my father was when he planted
Cabernet Sauvignon in Langhe (1978) and Chardonnay in Treiso
(1979),” reflects Gaia, who turned 40 this year. In both instances, he
scandalised his neighbours but produced superb wines that soon
had others following in his steps. The Gajas believe that Italy’s next
successes will be in white wine, which led them to establish a joint
venture with Alberto Geraci in Mount Etna, Sicily a couple years
ago, to make Carricante but also now, a promising foray into reds
with the indigenous Nerello Mascalese.
Wines from Nerello Mascalese was in the past considered too
light for Italian tastes but has shown its elegance and complexity
in recent years with modern winemakers. Grapes are inching
higher up the slope, anything from 800-1,200 metres above sea
level, making it one of the highest elevations in Italy and also where
cooler temperatures will soften the impact of global warming for
many years yet. Gaia is two years into the branding of the new
vineyard, which she reveals is likely to be called Idda, for “she” –
the active volcano of Mount Etna herself. By the time Gaia shares
that the local Sicilian folk quip about Gaja being the “new volcano
on the volcano,” it seems certain to me that it’s the new face of the
brand that they’re referring to.