Sperss Barolo D.O.P. - GAJA

Angelo Gaja and the wines from the GAJA winery hardly need any introduction. The Gaja family settled in Piedmont as early as the middle of the seventeenth century. Since then, 5 generations have alternated in wine production since Giovanni Gaja founded the winery in Barbaresco, in the territory of the Langhe, in 1859.

Angelo Gaja followed his father Giovanni as head of the family enterprise in the early 1960s. At the time blending grapes from different vineyards and villages was the practice in Piedmont. Some wineries may have even used grapes from outside the region. A few winemakers including Angelo Gaja, Bruno Giacosa, Beppe Colla of Prunotto and Alfredo Currado at Vietti started making wines from a single vineyard.

Under the leadership of Angelo Gaja, the wines of the family-owned winery have proved to be innovative and, at times revolutionary. For most of his life he has been a visionary man on a mission: To do what it takes to explore ways to improve the quality of his wines.

The Nebbiolo and Barbera vines for the Sperss Barolo grow in Gaja’s Sperss vineyard located in the Marenca-Rivette area in the commune of Serralunga in the Barolo production zone. The Summer of 2014 was one of the coldest and rainiest ever recorded, however, a long autumn without rain or hail and late harvest allowed the grapes to ripe beautifully.

The grapes were carefully hand-picked, sorted, and destemmed. Then fermented and macerated separately in steel vats for three weeks. At the end of the malolactic fermentation, the wines were assembled and then decanted into barriques where it aged for a period of 12 months. The wine underwent a further period of ageing in large oak barrels for 18 months.

Longevity: Very long.