1990 Sori San Lorenzo

The 1990 Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo is a dark, hulking wine boasting masses of dark fruit, scorched earth and herbs. Initially somewhat rustic, the wine becomes rounder and more generous with time in the glass. Still, this remains a bit of a wild, unrestrained wine from Gaja that lacks the elegance that informs the very finest Sorì San Lorenzos.

The 1990 Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo is a dark, hulking wine boasting masses of dark fruit, scorched earth and herbs. Initially somewhat rustic, the wine becomes rounder and more generous with time in the glass. Still, this remains a bit of a wild, unrestrained wine from Gaja that lacks the elegance that informs the very finest Sori San Lorenzos. Anticipated maturity: 2010- 2030. Angelo Gaja’s 1989s and 1990s are simply glorious. Gaja is frequently criticized, especially in Italy, a country that has an uneasy relationship with success of any kind. To be sure, Gaja likes to mix things up with views that are at times perhaps unnecessarily provocative. Prices have always been a point of contention among the estate’s detractors, as even Gaja’s father Giovanni sold his own wines at prices considered to be astronomical more than 50 years ago. At the end of the day, though, the only thing that counts is what is in the glass, and the simple truth is that these wines are utterly mind-blowing. Angelo Gaja had at least one big advantage vis-a-vis his neighbors. Gaja began working full-time at his family’s winery in 1969, and was followed a year later in 1970 by oenologist Guido Rivella. By the time 1989 came around Gaja and Rivella had been working together for nearly 20 years, and were perfectly positioned to make the most of these two historic harvests, which they certainly did. Gaja was so far ahead of his time that there are plenty of producers in Piedmont (and Italy) that still haven’t caught up to the groundbreaking wines he made 20 years ago. I have had many of Gaja’s 1989s and 1990s recently in less formal settings and have never been anything less than deeply impressed. Readers fortunate to own these bottles should be thrilled. For his 1989s and 1990s, Gaja carried out the malolactic fermentations in stainless steel and aged the wines for a year in French oak followed by a year in cask, an approach he employs today. Although Gaja’s wines are often flashy upon release, these bottles attest rather eloquently to the glacial aging that is the hallmark of the house style. One of the very few critiques I can make is that Sori San Lorenzo and Sperss were far less consistently profound twenty years ago than they are today. If there is one truism with Gaja, it is that one only needs to taste the Barbaresco to understand the quality of the vintage. When the Barbaresco is truly great (as it is in 1997, 2001, 2004 and 2007) all of the other wines will almost certainly be profound.

A magnum of Gaja’s 1990 Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo was breathtaking. The wine revealed jaw-dropping purity and elegance in an extraordinary display of vibrant dark fruit. Those lucky enough to own this gem of a wine, especially in large formats, can look forward to several decades of profound drinking.