“Driven by an unrelenting quest for perfection, Gaja took his family’s estate to the top… Getting to the top in any field is hard. Staying at the top is even harder. For all of the praise Angelo Gaja and his family have received over the years, they have earned and deserve every bit of it.” – Antonio Galloni

“Angelo Gaja’s works of art are worth every cent they will fetch.” – Robert Parker

GAJA stands the test of time, as a rebel. A visionary. A beacon. A reformer. And more…

Maybe Wine Spectator puts it best: “Angelo Gaja is a tireless innovator. When he joined his father in the family winery in 1961, they had 52 acres of vines, all in Barbaresco. Today, the family firm controls 567 acres in Barbaresco and Barolo in Piedmont and the Brunello di Montalcino and Bolgheri regions of Tuscany… Quality is a keynote. The Gaja wines consistently score outstanding, and often classic… No matter the region, Angelo Gaja has been willing to try new techniques, in both vineyard and winery. The resulting wines have sometimes shocked traditionalists, yet over time, they have proven to remain true to their local identities. Over his half-century of work, Gaja has been able to honor tradition while at the same time make wines that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the top wines from France and the world in general.”

To feature the wines of GAJA, at unbeatable prices, here on Wine Spies is not only a first today, but an honor and a privilege that ushers a new era.

This marks the very first vintage of GAJA’s labeling their wines as Barolo or Barbaresco since the controversial move to declassify them as Langhe Rosso. It is a ** REAL DEAL** flagship from GAJA folks, really does not get any cultsier, or more “knee-weakening” as described by Galloni below. Robert Parker once described its legendary style as “Costa Russi shimmers on the palate with extraordinary grace… comes across as relatively accessible when young, but it is sure to only improve with age.” But fair warning as Wine Advocate also points out that “Costa Russi remains the smallest of Gaja’s single-vineyard wines…”

Only a couple of cases, still begging for more!

98+ Points – Jeb Dunnuck

“The 2016 Barbaresco Costa Russi is a more floral, sappy Barbaresco, offering textbook notes of black cherries, rose petals, sappy herbs, and violets. It’s one of the more vibrant, juicy, and perfumed wines in the lineup and has medium to full body, bright yet integrated acidity, and the same incredibly polished yet certainly present tannins found in all these 2016s. This is another elegant 2016 that never puts a foot wrong. Drink 2026-2041.”

98 Points – Antonio Galloni’s Vinous

“I have had many remarkable tastings at Gaja over the years. I remember revisiting all the 1989s and 1990s for a retrospective some years ago. When I entered the tasting room I was completely overwhelmed by a whole range of exotic, almost intoxicating, Nebbiolo aromas that completely filled the room. My most recent visit didn’t quite equal that high, but it came very close. The Gaja family’s 2016 Barbarescos are simply extraordinary… all four 2016s are mind blowingly beautiful, vivid wines that will leave readers weak at the knees. The 2016 Barbaresco Costa Russi is ripe, creamy and enveloping, as it so often is, and yet also preserves the super classic sense of structure that runs through all these wines. In 2016, Costa Russi has an extra touch of mid-palate sweetness that gives the wine its sense of immediacy. Succulent red cherry, rosewater, kirsch, mint and dried flowers meld together in the glass. Soft and sensual, with tons of allure, Costa Russi is another winner from Gaja. Time in the glass brings out the wine’s density and tannins, both of which it has in spades. Drink 2026-2041.”

97 Points –Wine Spectator

“This delicate red features floral, strawberry, cherry, currant and loamy earth aromas and flavors, showing terrific balance. A line of firm tannins adds support, and the finish is long and expansive. Best from 2023 through 2045. 175 cases imported.”

99 Points – James Suckling

“Beautiful dried strawberries, flowers and cedar with hints of tar. Full body, round and rich tannins with lots of cedar, tar and tobacco, as well as a hint of chocolate powder. Lovely, long and caressing finish. Gorgeous again. Better after 2022.”

96+ Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

“The 2016 Barbaresco Costa Russi is a very botanical wine in terms of its aromas, with lovely perfumes of rose, elderflower, sambuco and anise seed, along with a touch of glycerine. It then follows up with some sweetness that feels very embracing in this wine. This is the more ephemeral, delicate and floral member of the extended Barbaresco family from Gaja, with a crunchy tannic bite, but nothing too severe. There is a really good vitality and energy to this very expressive wine. Costa Russi remains the smallest of Gaja’s single-vineyard wines, and Gaia Gaja warns that there will be considerably less of it starting with the 2017 vintage. Production for this wine had always varied greatly to begin with, due in part to the fragile nature of the 80-year-old vines, but about half of those were removed and replanted. It will be a while before the new vines are old enough to go online. So, with some 10,000 bottles made in 2016 and 6,000 bottles in 2015, we can count on those numbers to be split by half over the next three to four years, for sure. Drink 2023-2045.”