I attended a tasting of a number of Gaja's 1997 offerings. Most of these wines are made in limited quantities and extraordinary prices so I thought I'd share my impressions.
1997 Barberesco (5000 cases) Nose of red raspberry and plum with hints of mineral. Fairly ripe on the palate with a bit of tar at the finish. Fairly tannic and powerful yet well balanced.1997 Sori San Lorenzo Langhe (800 cases) This is a huge full bodied wine with red raspberry and blackberry notes and a large dose of tar on the nose. Massive and full bodied on the palate with a touch of roses and herbs on the finish. Very chewy tannins.
1997 Sori Tilden Langhe (800 cases) Elegant and refined. Rich flavors of raspberry and earth. Very smooth, fine tannic structure. Approachable now but will improve with age.1997 Costa Russi Langhe (800 cases) This is a wine to get your arms around. Big, ripe and chewy with plenty of tar and ripe berry notes with an undertone of mineral. The finish goes on for a half an hour! My favorite of the group.
We also tasted the 1989 Barberesco which was old and tired and the 1999 Barberesco which was quite close to the 1997 in many respects. The 1999 had a bit more ripeness in the fruit and a bit more tang in the acidity but not the smoothness of the 1997 which may be a function of it's age. Bi!!