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2016 Gaja, Barbaresco, Costa Russi

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Gaja, Barbaresco, Costa Russi 10997222016

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Why We're Buying

Gaja was founded with one mission: to produce wine that captured the time, culture, and tradition of Piedmont. No wine in the estate’s portfolio does that more concisely than Gaja Costa Russi. The Barbaresco is the smallest of Gaja's single-vineyard wines, with production capped at 1,700 cases due to fragile 80-year-old vines. The ancient vines prove that with age comes beauty. The stunning dark ruby body unfurls notes of red fruits, blood orange, plum, licorice, earth, herbs, and a garden’s worth of flowers. That ethereal nose translates into a soft yet sturdy body with bright acids, refined tannins, and remarkable finesse. Simply put: 2016 Gaja Costa Russi is a classic Barbaresco that fulfills the Gaja mission in every way. The Final Sip: This single-vineyard red captures the essence of Piedmont with grace and style. Wine critic Jeb Dunnuck added, “This is another elegant 2016 that never puts a foot wrong.”

Critics Scores

JAMES SUCKLING
97

James Suckling

Beautiful dried strawberries, flowers and cedar with hints of tar. Full body, round and rich tannins with lots of cedar, tar and tobacco, as well as a hint of chocolate powder. Lovely, long and caressing finish. Gorgeous again. Better after 2022.

WINE ENTHUSIAST
95

Wine Enthusiast

Dark-skinned berry, coconut and balsamic aromas of eucalyptus shape the nose along with a whiff of rose petal. On the tense, youthfully austere palate, taut, fine-grained tannins and vibrant acidity support red cherry, cranberry, orange zest, brown pepper and a hint of tobacco. Give it time to fully develop. Drink 2024–2041.

WINE SPECTATOR
97

Wine Spectator

This delicate red features floral, strawberry, cherry, currant and loamy earth aromas and flavors, showing terrific balance. A line of firm tannins adds support, and the finish is long and expansive. Best from 2023 through 2045.

ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE
96

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

The 2016 Barbaresco Costa Russi is a very botanical wine in terms of its aromas, with lovely perfumes of rose, elderflower, sambuco and anise seed, along with a touch of glycerine. It then follows up with some sweetness that feels very embracing in this wine. This is the more ephemeral, delicate and floral member of the extended Barbaresco family from Gaja, with a crunchy tannic bite, but nothing too severe. There is a really good vitality and energy to this very expressive wine. Costa Russi remains the smallest of Gaja's single-vineyard wines, and Gaia Gaja warns that there will be considerably less of it starting with the 2017 vintage. Production for this wine had always varied greatly to begin with, due in part to the fragile nature of the 80-year-old vines, but about half of those were removed and replanted. It will be a while before the new vines are old enough to go online. So, with some 10,000 bottles made in 2016 and 6,000 bottles in 2015, we can count on those numbers to be split by half over the next three to four years, for sure.

JEB DUNNUCK
98

Jeb Dunnuck

The 2016 Barbaresco Costa Russi is a more floral, sappy Barbaresco, offering textbook notes of black cherries, rose petals, sappy herbs, and violets. It's one of the more vibrant, juicy, and perfumed wines in the lineup and has medium to full body, bright yet integrated acidity, and the same incredibly polished yet certainly present tannins found in all these 2016s. This is another elegant 2016 that never puts a foot wrong.