Gaja Sito Moresco 2004

As I’m really into the Piedmontese wines at the moment I couldn’t resist this entry-level wine from the master himself. In more than one way Angelo Gaja has shocked, surprised and conquered colleagues, critics and consumers alike. Although often marked as a modernist insurgent, Gaja stayed above the fray between the modernist movement Langa In with notable members as Elio Altare, Enrico Scavino, Claudio Coterno, Guido Fantino and Domenico Clerico and their traditionalist counterparts including Giacomo Coterno, Giuseppe Rinaldi and Bartolo Mascarello. But it was Gaja who acted as a mentor for a lot of new winemakers with the vinification and bottling of single-vineyard crus and the use of small barriques instead of large botti. In 1996 he opted out of the DOCG regulations with the decision to blend a proportion of Barbera into his Barbaresco’s, a move not dissimilar to Supertuscan producers in the ’70s. With the Sito Moresco he goes even further by complementing Nebbiolo (35%) with Merlot (35%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (30%), a provoking blend that makes Langhe meet Bordeaux. Red ruby in the glass the wine shows aromas of ripe blackberry, cassis and mint with the more subtle Nebbiolo adding spice, tobacco and leather. The dark berries follow onto a smooth and silky palate that bears the weight of the fruit surprisingly well with balanced acidity leading to a long and dry finish. This blend might be miles away from home but it retains an unmistakable Italian crowd pleaser. 90 points

Source: Negociants Australia  Price: $69  Drink: Now-2012

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