GAJA Sperss 2005

In 1961, the Gaja winery decided to end its practice of buying grapes from outside growers. Because the family did not own land in the Barolo appellation, they were no longer able to produce a Barolo.

It was a bold move: at the time Barolo was the only “brand” that carried any weight outside the Langa hills. And ultimately, it was Angelo Gaja who would single-handedly create awareness of Barbaresco among foreign wine lovers through his tireless marketing efforts and travels.

It wasn’t until 1988, when the family purchased vineyards in the Serralunga township, that it would once again produce a Barolo.

Sperss means “nostalgia“.

It’s a Piedmontese dialectal term akin to the Italian “perso” (lost) from the Italian verb “perdere” (to lose). Its etymon reaches back to the Latin [dis]perdo meaning to squander or to waste.

“When we first released this wine,” Angelo Gaja used to explain, “we called it Sperss to remember that time” when the winery still produced Barolo using grapes from other growers.

In 2000, with release of the 1996 vintage, Gaja “reclassified” the wine, as Angelo’s daughter Gaia likes to say, from “Barolo Sperss” to “Langhe Nebbiolo Sperss.”

Description:

• Color: ruby.
• Aroma: the nose shows dark, pure and very focused fruit with classic hints of tar, licorice and a touch of truffles.
• Taste: Sperss displays the austere character typical of Serralunga terroir: deep structure and lots of ripe tannins. Dense, massive yet seamless, this beautifully integrated wine possesses low acidity as well as a terrific finish.

93/100 Antonio Galloni

The 2005 Sperss is simply gorgeous in its layers of super-ripe black fruit, smoke, licorice, French oak, new leather and spices. As is the case with most wines in this vintage, the 2005 Sperss is relatively compact and two-dimensional yet it offers outstanding balance in an easygoing style for this wine. Gaja’s vineyards in Serralunga are some of the best-exposed plots in the zone, and that clearly was a help here. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022

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