Gaja "Sori San Lorenzo" Langhe D.O.C. 2013
(Piedmont, Italy) - [JS 100] [VM 98] [WA 97] [WS 94] [WE 93]

About This Wine:

This wine made history when it became one of the earliest single-vineyard bottlings of Nebbiolo in Piedmont with the 1967 vintage. Sourced from the GAJA winery's top growing site, San Lorenzo, located just south of the village of Barbaresco in the famed cru Secondine, the wine is made with 95% Nebbiolo grapes and 5% Barbera. This practice hails back to the earliest era of Barbaresco, when the lighter-bodied Barbera was traditionally blended into the tannic Nebbiolo to temper its power and structure.

In 2000, with the release of the legendary 1996 vintage, GAJA decided to reclassify this wine and use the Langhe DOC appellation on the label, ommitting the Barbaresco DOCG. In part, the motivation for this change was purely semantic. As the number of single-vineyard bottlings grew in the 1990s, their popularity began to eclipse the importance of the traditional, classic Barbaresco, a cuvee or blend of many different vineyards. In a sense, the gesture was meant as a testament to the winery's steadfast belief that Barbaresco is one of the great wines of the world and should be accompanied rather than overshadowed by its single-vineyard fellows.

Wine Notes
Color: Deep red
Aroma: Highly concentrated currant and black cherry fruit with a hint of coffee, in addition to aromas of fine herbs, minerals and exotic spices.
Taste: Almost always the most powerful and austere of Gaja's five single-vineyard wines, requiring a longer time to fully develop. A very focused, concentrated wine with a long, lingering finish and refined tannins, it has excellent aging potential.

Grape Variety Used: 100% Nebbiolo
Alcohol Level: 14.50%

Ratings & Reviews

100 Points & #3 Top 100 Italian Wines of 2016 - James Suckling:
"Majestic aromas of crushed berries, meat and orange peel. Full body, lots of powerful yet ripe tannins and exquisite fruit. Amazing depth and density. They said they macerated a little more than normal because the fruit was perfect. A classic nebbiolo that reminds me of the great 1996. About 30% less production. Don’t touch for five to 10 years. A celebratory wine for Gaja’s return to the Barbaresco appellation." - (November 9, 2016)

98 Points - Vinous Media:
"Gaja's Sorì San Lorenzo, arguably the most iconic of all the wines, is superb. The 2013 is dark, virile and imposing, with a more classically leaning expression of power than in the recent past, not to mention tons of raw intensity. A host of graphite, savory herb, menthol, licorice, lavender, smoke and dark-fleshed fruits meld into the huge, tannic finish. There is a touch of French oak, but the personality of this site marries very naturally with the cooperage." - Antonio Galloni (Oct 2016)

97 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"Congratulations to the Gaja family and their 2013 Barbaresco Sorì San Lorenzo. This is a sheer and powerful expression of Nebbiolo that boasts a very firm and precise textural quality. The wine is 100% Nebbiolo, as blended Barbera is no longer part of the Sorì San Lorenzo DNA. The tannins are sharply delineated with a crunchy snap that you feel on the palate. This should definitely serve to keep the wine firmly rooted and committed to a slow aging trajectory. That structural firmness is the defining characteristic of this wine, and that unique identity is even more evident now that this wine is officially classified as Barbaresco." - Monica Larner (Jun 2016)

94 Points  - Wine Spectator Magazine:
"Round and full of cherry, plum and mineral aromas and flavors matched to a dense, broad structure. Oak spice and tar elements enter the mix as this mouthwatering red winds down on the long, spicy aftertaste. Best from 2021 through 2038. 155 cases imported." - BS (Apr 2017)

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast Magazine:
"Underbrush, camphor, dark berry and balsamic aromas take center stage on this radiant wine. The palate shows structure and finesse, delivering licorice, black cherry, French oak and a hint of exotic spice. Firm acidity and assertive tannins provide an age-worthy framework. Drink 2020–2035" - Kerin O’Keefe (Feb 2017)