1996 Chardonnay Gaia & Rey
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Tasting notes
The 1996 Langhe Gaia & Rey is a gorgeous expression of Chardonnay that left me absolutely delighted and surprised. At the end of my tasting of Gaja's reds, Gaia Gaja pulled out this previously opened magnum and offered a taste. The experience was memorable thanks to the gentle aging process that has enhanced and refined this luminous white. Its structure is intact and tight. The wine shows elegant tertiary aromas of crushed mineral dried fruit, apricot and dried sage. It is difficult to assign a drinking window to a wine like this given that it has already beat the odds by showing so well today.
Critic scores
Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 1996 Langhe Gaia & Rey is a gorgeous expression of Chardonnay that left me absolutely delighted and surprised. At the end of my tasting of Gaja's reds, Gaia Gaja pulled out this previously opened magnum and offered a taste. The experience was memorable thanks to the gentle aging process that has enhanced and refined this luminous white. Its structure is intact and tight. The wine shows elegant tertiary aromas of crushed mineral dried fruit, apricot and dried sage. It is difficult to assign a drinking window to a wine like this given that it has already beat the odds by showing so well today. Jun 2015, www.robertparker.com
Exotic orange peel aroma ("faintly muscat like," says Gaja) along with strong oak notes of vanilla, nuts and smoke. Full, dense and strong, with the sound acids of the vintage framing and extending the fruit and giving the wine excellent balance. Complicating notes of honey, herbs and hay. Finishes with good grip, and hints of butterscotch and spice. An excellent vintage for this chardonnay, perhaps even better than the '94.
About the producer
Gaja has been at the forefront of the Piedmont wine scene for many years and is Barbaresco’s most decorated producer. The winery has received a record number of Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri awards – the highest accolade from Italy’s leading wine publication.