2009 Sperss
Buying options
Tasting notes
Good deep red. Knockout, almost liqueur-like nose combines plum, redcurrant, red licorice, marzipan, menthol, tobacco and loamy earth. Large-scaled, broad and deep, with its powerful sweetness leavened by strong minerality and a distinct medicinal reserve. As concentrated as a solid. The slowly building finish shows inexorable length, saturating the palate with salty minerality. I'd bet on this one for the long haul.
Critic scores
Average Score
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Gaja's 2009 Sperss has developed nicely since I last tasted it a few months ago. An intense bouquet redolent of smoke, ash, savory herbs and licorice melds into dense blackberry, plums and black cherry notes. The pedigree of these great Serralunga sites comes through in spades in a vibrant, beautifully exotic Sperss. I expect that the 2009 will drink well early, something that is rarely the case.
The 2009 Sperss sees fruit sourced from Serralunga d’Alba and those telltale signs of the territory are definitely on full display. The power, added structure and thicker density of the wine speak to this corner of the Barolo denomination. Bold cherry and spice are rounded off by leather, tobacco and a touch of toasted Alba hazelnut. The finish is soft and caressing even at this young stage, yet the wine still needs more time to evolve.
A much different expression of Nebbiolo comes through in the 2009 Sperss. The firm, structured tannins of Serralunga frame the fruit in this powerful wine. The 2009 is an unusually sunny, radiant Sperss with bright, floral aromatics and a distinctly red-toned expression of fruit. The overall impression is of elegance and femininity, while the more typical, virile side of this vineyard seems to be a bit less in evidence. Sperss is such a magical site. The vineyard excels in many vintages, but is particularly advantaged in warm years. Over the last few months, the more typical Sperss notes have begun to take shape as the differences between Conteisa and Sperss attenuated when the wines were yonger - become much more marked.
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.