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Costa Russi 1999 75cl

DOC | Langhe | Piedmont | Italy
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Critics scores
97 Wine Spectator
I love the mineral, berry and raspberry aromas, with a light mint undertone. Full-bodied, round and unctuous, with fine tannins and a long, ripe fruit aftertaste. Firm and tight. Forget this in the cellar for a long time. As great as the 1996. Best after 2007. 800 cases made. ?JS
97 Wine Spectator
I love the mineral, berry and raspberry aromas, with a light mint undertone. Full-bodied, round and unctuous, with fine tannins and a long, ripe fruit aftertaste. Firm and tight. Forget this in the cellar for a long time. As great as the 1996. Best after 2007. 800 cases made. ?JS
94 Robert Parker
The merits and faults of the 1997 vintage have been debated endlessly. Some people love the wines for their rich round fruit, others find the wines atypical and overly ripe. My own feeling is that the vintage is simply uneven, and that there are exceptional wines that capture the best of the vintage and there are overripe, unbalanced wines that are by comparison much less complex. Without a doubt the1997 Gaja wines from the Barbaresco zone are among the very best wines of the vintage. I recently had the opportunity to taste the 1997 single-vineyard wines from the Barbaresco area: Sori Tildin, Sori San Lorenzo and Costa Russi. All three are stunning, complex wines of great elegance and class that evolve beautifully in the glass, revealing layer after layer of flavor. The wines also share a youthfulness and freshness that suggests that they are in the very early stages of their development. While certainly enjoyable now, I wouldn?t touch another bottle for several years and hope to have the patience to wait well beyond that. Note: While the base Barbaresco bottling was not a part of this tasting, I have tasted that wine on a number of occasions and it is also worth seeking out. The wines were tasted blind. Costa Russi and Sori Tildin are made from parcels within the Roncagliette vineyard while Sori San Lorenzo is produced from the Secondine cru, all of which are in the Barbaresco commune. Vinification is the same for all three wines: fermentations last for 15-20 days. The wines then pass into barriques for the malolactic fermentations, where they remain for a year. The second year of wood aging takes place in large casks. Since the 1996 vintage, the wines contain around 5% Barbera grapes used to balance acidity. 1997 Gaja Langhe Costa Russi?Dark ruby in color. Clearly the most approachable of the wines, the Costa Russi is a luscious and intense wine showing generous flavors of ripe dark cherries, toasted oak, roasted espresso beans, cassis, tar, licorice, mint, and truffles. 94 points/drink 2007-2017
94 Robert Parker
The merits and faults of the 1997 vintage have been debated endlessly. Some people love the wines for their rich round fruit, others find the wines atypical and overly ripe. My own feeling is that the vintage is simply uneven, and that there are exceptional wines that capture the best of the vintage and there are overripe, unbalanced wines that are by comparison much less complex. Without a doubt the1997 Gaja wines from the Barbaresco zone are among the very best wines of the vintage. I recently had the opportunity to taste the 1997 single-vineyard wines from the Barbaresco area: Sori Tildin, Sori San Lorenzo and Costa Russi. All three are stunning, complex wines of great elegance and class that evolve beautifully in the glass, revealing layer after layer of flavor. The wines also share a youthfulness and freshness that suggests that they are in the very early stages of their development. While certainly enjoyable now, I wouldn?t touch another bottle for several years and hope to have the patience to wait well beyond that. Note: While the base Barbaresco bottling was not a part of this tasting, I have tasted that wine on a number of occasions and it is also worth seeking out. The wines were tasted blind. Costa Russi and Sori Tildin are made from parcels within the Roncagliette vineyard while Sori San Lorenzo is produced from the Secondine cru, all of which are in the Barbaresco commune. Vinification is the same for all three wines: fermentations last for 15-20 days. The wines then pass into barriques for the malolactic fermentations, where they remain for a year. The second year of wood aging takes place in large casks. Since the 1996 vintage, the wines contain around 5% Barbera grapes used to balance acidity. 1997 Gaja Langhe Costa Russi?Dark ruby in color. Clearly the most approachable of the wines, the Costa Russi is a luscious and intense wine showing generous flavors of ripe dark cherries, toasted oak, roasted espresso beans, cassis, tar, licorice, mint, and truffles. 94 points/drink 2007-2017
Producer
Gaja
Barbaresco would not be the same without Gaja’s iconic reputation. This venerable domaine not only drew worldwide attention to the region, but they have also shown the quality that is attainable not just with Nebbiolo, but with “outside” varieties as well. Their story started over 150 years ago, when Giovanni Gaja founded the winery in 1859 to complement the food in his restaurant. Today, the company is managed by the fourth and fifth generations, Angelo Gaja and his children. Over the years, the Gaja name has grown to represent not only exceptional quality, but unique and intriguing flavors that are unlike any others from the region. The single-vineyards are a blend of Nebbiolo and Barbera, like all the wine produced before the introduction of the DOCG denomination. This denomination was established in 1966, and it is mandatory for the wines to be 100% Nebbiolo. For this reason, he declassified most of his single-vineyard wines and took the denomination of Langhe Nebbiolo DOC instead, in order to reach the specific style he desired. Gaja currently produces a total of twelve different Piemontese wines, as well as, seven Tuscan wines from Montalcino and Bolgheri.