![Gaja "Sperss" Barolo D.O.P. 2017 (Piedmont, Italy) 750mL - [JD 98+] [JS 98] [WA 96] [DM 96] [VM 95] [TWI 95] [WS 95] [WE 94]](http://artisan.wine/cdn/shop/files/image_fefaaf41-e7d0-4d37-980b-e58502ba18e7_{width}x.png?v=1685988911)
Gaja "Sperss" Barolo D.O.P. 2017
(Piedmont, Italy) 750mL - [JD 98+] [JS 98] [WA 96] [DM 96] [VM 95] [TWI 95] [WS 95] [WE 94]
Regular price $420.00 Sale price $347.97 Save $72.03
The story of the Gaja winery can be traced to a singular, founding purpose: to produce original wines with a sense of place which reflect the tradition and culture of those who made it. This philosophy has inspired five generations of impeccable winemaking. It started over 150 years ago when Giovanni Gaja opened a small restaurant in Barbaresco, making wine to complement the food he served. In 1859, he founded the Gaja winery, producing some of the first wine from Piedmont to be bottled and sold outside the region. In 1988 the Gaja family purchased twelve hectares of vineyard in one of the best positions in Serralunga. The land was named Sperss, a Piedmontese dialect word meaning nostalgia, that of Giovanni Gaja (Angelo’s father) for the childhood memories linked with Serralunga.
About this Wine:
The Sperss vineyard is located in the Marenca-Rivette sub-area in the municipality of Serralunga. The land, arranged as an amphitheater on a surface of 12 hectares, consists of very compact clay-calcareous marls and has south and south-west facing exposure with an average altitude of 370 m above sea level. The vines are 55 years old on average.
First Year of Production: 1988
Tasting Notes
The wine opens up with dominant citrus notes followed by hints of cedar and spices. Complex aromas of juniper, cherry, and ripe plum rise from the glass. Marzipan, sweet spices, turmeric, and licorice from the wood add another layer of flavor. However, it’s a light use of wood that’s balanced with delicate sweetness, fresh spice notes, and tannins; present but not intrusive in the mouth. The wine finishes clean, sharp, yet austere.
Ratings & Reviews
98+ Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"From the estate’s property in Serralunga d’Alba, the 2017 Barolo Sperss is fresh with pine, perfectly ripe cherry, leather, and aniseed. It has classic Serralunga structure without being imposing, with ripe up-front fruit of dried raspberry as well as tea leaf, and refreshing acidity on the finish. It is layered with depth, but is remarkably drinkable now. This is a beautiful wine to finish out the Gaja lineup. Drink 2022-2042." - Audrey Frick (5/27/2021)
98 Points - James Suckling:
"Very intense aromas of roasted hazelnuts with dried flowers, tar and fruit. Full-bodied and very tight with a solid core of chewy yet refined tannins, this is a classically proportioned Barolo that displays superb structure and length. A thoroughly great wine. Try after 2025." (Aug 2021)
96 Points - Wine Advocate:
"Following so quickly after the celestial 2016 vintage, this Gaja 2017 Barolo Sperss shows muscle and brawn; however, the Conteisa holds its own in terms of aromatic complexity. With fruit from Serralunga d'Alba, that added concentration and determination are expected, especially in a hot and dry vintage such as 2017. Here you get dark cherry fruit with cassis and wild plum. There are also floral aromas that veer toward red rose more than they do violets or blue flowers. And, of course, you get some of those iron-rich or mineral notes of rusty nail or iron that are often associated with Sperss." - Monica Larner (Jun 2021)
96 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"In 2017, according to Rossana Gaja, Sperss was picked almost a month after the start of the harvest on 18 September. Coming from Serralunga, this interpretation of Barolo exhibits a dark profile of earthy tones and chocolate, with graceful jam-like cherry, orange peel and violet. Thick and extracted on the mid-palate with crisp acidity, the structure is perfectly woven into its restrained plummy fruits and liquorice finish. It's not showing much poise at present, but clearly has a long life ahead." - Aldo Fiordelli (Mar 2021)
95 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2017 Barolo Sperss is a powerful, backward wine. In 2017 Sperss is not as huge as in some previous years, but then again, the move towards greater finesse has been in place for some time now. In tasting, Sperss feels more extracted and tannic than Conteisa (even after allowing for the clear differences in site), with a strong oak imprint that is also pretty evident. Sage, tobacco, scorches earth and spice meld into a core of dark Serralunga fruit in this imposing Barolo from Gaja. Give it a few years to soften." - Antonio Galloni (Oct 2021)
95 Points - The Wine Independent:
"Gaja's 2017 Barolo Sperss starts off with attractive notes of ripe strawberry, against a background of white chalk and gentle sweet-spice notes of oak. On the palate it is much more fleshy and concentrated than the 2018, with a soft, round and full impression and some little, crunchy, drier tannins. The tannins are more compact and fine and are closing down the fruit a little today but of course, there is always the Gaja signature of supreme finesse to balance this." (Jul 2022)
95 Points - Wine Spectator:
"A fluid style, this red displays cherry, raspberry, currant, earth and tobacco flavors. Iron and tar accents join in as the dense swath of tannins adds closure. Overall, this is light on its feet, intense and lively, hanging together nicely. Best from 2025 through 2048. 1,500 cases made." - BS (Nov 2021)
94 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"This full-bodied red has aromas of scorched earth, French oak and a hint of camphor. The tightly wound palate features oak-driven sensations of espresso and coconut as well as red cherry, star anise and a hint of nutmeg before an almost salty finish. Assertive, close-grained tannins grip the close. Drink 2025–2032." - Kerin O'Keefe (11/1/2021)