Gaja Barolo Conteisa

Let us continue the examination of 2000 Barolos with the 2000 Gaja Barolo Conteisa. Gaja was the other major revolutionary. He introduced French barriques to Piedmont, was not interested in following Italian DOC regulations and did a superb job in marketing his wine, in particular in the US. What he shared with Elio Altare was the drive to make Barolos elegant.

And elegant this wine is. On opening the bottle, there is a very strong floral bouquet of violets and roses. This wine comes from another famous La Morra vineyard, Cerequio, not far from Brunate. Therefore no surprises about these feminine notes. The fruit flavours are blackberry and black cherries and slight savoury characters on the back palate. This wine has also softened considerably, but drinks well at present. There is still a backbone of acidity and fine tannins on the finish. The mouthfeel is not quite as rounded as the Vietti, but this remains an excellent wine.

Score: 95/++

For those who have examined the photo, you may have identified the fourth wine, which is yet to come. It received 100 points by Wine Spectator on its release.