Gaia Gaja grew up in the small hillside town of Barbaresco, in the Piedmont region of Italy, and like a lot of young people in small towns everywhere, she didn’t like it very much.
"There was nothing to do," she said, echoing the almost-universal complaint.
And then, going into the family wine business and traveling throughout the world, selling and tasting and speaking about Gaja wines, she decided that the small town had its advantages.
"I run there whenever I have the chance," she said with a smile, hoisting a glass of red wine upward to check its color against bright daylight. "It’s so quiet and peaceful."
Having tasted the bright lights and big cities, and still doing some traveling, Gaia spends much of her time at the headquarters winery and vineyards of Gaja, where her family’s company has been growing grapes and making wine for 150 years, an anniversary it will be able to celebrate when the calendar rolls over in just a few weeks. Her father, Angelo, brought the operation into the main stream in the 1960s, expanding into Tuscany and increasing the Piedmont holdings to 250 acres, planting Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay grapes. He and his long-time winemaker, Guido Rivella, also worked with Nebbiolo grapes to improve their quality, and blended them with Italian standbys like Sangiovese and Barbera. Some Italian wines are named for their home region, like Barbaresco and Barolo; others are named by grape variety, still others receive proprietary names, like a family or a vineyard or even a tribute to a negotiation.
That shows in "Camarcanda," from "Ca’Marcanda," the Piemontese idiom for "house of endless negotiations," applied by Angelo Gaja to mark the process of acquiring the vineyard.
One of the advantages of being a wine writer is the opportunity to meet several generations of the people who grow up and into the business. More than 30 years ago, I met Angelo Gaja, father to the yet-unborn Gaia (she’s 28), when he visited St. Louis on a sales trip. Like so many winemakers, he began as a farmer and, and there’s a friendly, warm, approachable attitude that they share. In my many years as a reporter, wine people are the easiest to talk with; the presence of good wine may be a contributing factor.
Anyway, Gaia and I sampled a dozen of her family’s products during a day that included lunch, a seminar she led for local wine buyers and sellers and dinner at Portabella, where chef Thom Zoog prepared a meal to show off four of them.
She talked a great deal about differences between Italian wines, where Nebbiolo and Sangiovese are the predominant grapes, and American reds that use Cabernet Sauvignon as the mainstay.
The final word, however, came not from Gaia but from her father. "He says that Cab is John Wayne, but Nebbiolo is Marcello Mastroianni."
Nine of the Gaja wines were from Tuscany and three from Piedmont; which also contributed a grappa, a fiery liqueur distilled from the pomace of the grapes (the remains after pressing for juice that becomes wine) to wrap the meal with biscotti and chocolate truffles. Tuscany encompasses Florence and Montalcino, and south of Piedmont, where Turin and Barbaresco are located and which borders on Switzerland and France to the north and northwest. All were very good, most were excellent, a couple were exceptional. We’ll start with the trio from Piedmont, all from vineyards in and around Barbaresco, but only one with the geographical name.
2005 Barbaresco: 100 percent Nebbiolo. Superior wine, though still a little young, with noticeable tannin. Fruit aromas, heavy on plum, smooth on the palate, long finish with full body and good backbone.
2005 Sori San Lorenzo: 95 percent Nebbiolo, 5 percent Barbera. An austere wine, needs another year or two of bottle age but will open nicely and become a wine of superb flavor and good body. Rich and tasty now, it can be cellared for another 10 years before it peaks, but will be worth the wait.
2005 Costa Russi: 95 percent Nebbiolo, 5 percent Barbera: A wine with an elegant, deep, penetrating aroma of stone fruits. All are from neighboring vineyards, and the relationship show, with this showing readiness sooner and with a fine, silky feel on the palate.
And on to Tuscany, beginning in Montalcino. . . .
2006 Rossj-Bass Chardonnay: Chardonnay, with "a touch" of Sauvignon Blanc: The only white wine of the day, a European-style Chardonnay (think white Burgundy) that is lean and crisp, with citrus hints and a smooth, light body. The blend with just a little Sauvignon Blanc keeps the wine perfectly dry; superb with oysters on the shell.
2000 and 2004 Pieve Santa Restituta Rennina: 100 percent Sangiovese: A document from 715 A.D. indicates a church of that name in the immediate area of the vineyard, therefore recognized by Angelo Gaja when he bought the property. A true Brunello di Montalcino, and therefore expensive, with a hint of spice in the aroma and a soft, refined flavor, with blueberry in the background. The two wines showed their heritage, but the older one is quite ready for drinking today and is a delicious accompaniment to almost any meal. Rich, but not oppressive flavors, with a finish that lingers nicely.
2000 and 2004 Pieve Sugarille: 100 percent Sangiovese: A grape-producing property since at least 1547, another Brunello di Montalcino, from a vineyard whose grapes show more tannin that the previous wine. Again, age makes a difference, and the ‘00 is more mature and balanced. However, the younger wine is delicious, and while it might be considered heresy in some circles, I found it a splendid dinner wine right now.
Last but not least, wrapping up the wines with three glorious offerings under the Ca’Marcanda label, even though they are rather young blends from the Tuscan town of Castagneto. . . .
2005 Magari: 50 percent Merlot, 25 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 25 percent Cabernet Franc: Rich and supple, with the soft, winning texture that great Merlot grapes develop, this is an outstanding wines, just like the others with the Ca’Marcanda label. Lots of fruit, plums in the aroma and a smooth finish. Delicious.
2006 Promis: 55 percent Merlot, 35 percent Syrah, 10 percent Sangiovese. An elegant blend, with the Sangiovese adding a touch of solidity, even hardness, to the softer Merlot. Red fruit from the Syrah, an elegant aroma shows the best of all three grapes and the finish is a delight on the palate.
2005 Camarcanda: 50 percent Merlot, 40 percent Cabernet Savignon, 10 percent Cabernet Franc: Dense, still hard but with a brilliant future, this was the showcase wine of the evening, rich and hearty and a perfect companion to a flavorful, deep osso buco. The wine is rich enough to cut through the short ribs, with the Cabernet adding complexity to its companions in the bottle, as differentiated from the Magari, which has more Cabernet Franc. Many layers of aroma and flavor, with plum notes on the palate and a surprisinglylong finish considering the rather young red wine. A beautiful wine.
The grappa, under the Gaia & Rey label, which honors Angelo’s daughter and his grandmother, Clotilde Rey, is made from Chardonnay seeds, skins and other debris, then distilled. Other Gaja grappas are made from Nebbiolo and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. The one we tasted has a lovely aroma, but like most grappas, has a harsh quality and is just not my favorite after-dinner drink.
-Joe