1989 Gaja Barolo Sperss

The 1989 Barolo Sperss is wonderfully complete and polished, as layers of seamless, ripe fruit emerge from its powerful frame with tons of class. The wine reveals stunning elegance and purity wrapped around a powerful core of Serralunga fruit that speaks volumes of the greatness of this terroir. The 1989 Sperss can be enjoyed today as the tannins are incredibly finessed, but it also looks to have many years of profound drinking ahead of it. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2025. 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.

Sperss is a local word for nostalgia, we were told by Angelo. ‘My grandfather did sometimes buy Barolo grapes, including grapes from this vineyard, because they were so much easier to sell than Barbaresco.’ This Serralunga vineyard bought in 1988 was the Gajas' first foray into vine ownership in neighbouring Barolo and this was the historic first vintage . Much richer, riper and dustier than the Conteisa 1996 – even more concentrated. Fine tannins and wonderfully powerfully earthy. Great to drink now. Heady – a bouquet to lose yourself in. (JR)

The 1989 Barolo Sperss gives the impression of being more evolved, softer, and fatter than the single vineyard Barbarescos. Although there appears to be more depth of fruit, and the nose is more expressive, sweeter, and flamboyant, a thorough examination of the wine reveals considerable tannin. Nevertheless, the rich, ripe, broad, expansive fruit, full-bodied, chewy texture, and soft acids make for a decadently rich, complex, compelling bottle of Barolo. Drink it between 1995-2012. Admirers of great wine will no doubt be debating the merits of Gaja's 1989s and 1990s for the next two or three decades. Both are spectacular vintages. When I tasted them side by side in March, the 1990s possessed a slight edge in terms of concentration and power. That does not mean they will ultimately turn out better, but they are fabulously impressive wines of unprecedented complexity, stature, and richness. For all his success, the admirable Angelo Gaja remains fanatically committed to excellence, and because of that he is Piedmont's reference point, as well as an inspiration to many of the young growers just beginning to estate bottle their wines. Importer: Vinifera Imports, Ronkonkoma, NY.