On the Road with the Grape Guy

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Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy

(February 20, 2015) ... One of the great things about being in Italy is being so near to some of the greatest wine estates in the world - even better, is being invited to taste at one of them.  This was the case when I was invited to taste the new (and some older) wines with Angelo Gaja's daughter, Gaia Gaja, at the estate in Montalcino (acquired in 1994).

The property is 16 hectares of planted vineyards and 40 hectares of woods and produces only three wines:  Brunello, Rennina and Sugarille (still all Brunellos).  The philosophy is a minimalist approach of less wood so all wines spend 2 years in oak, 2 years in concrete tanks and a year in bottle (on average) before release.  In 2007, the estate holding increased by 9 hectares as a parcel of land to the north in the region of Torrenieri was purchased.

The estate is build around Pieve (church) Santa Restituta, one of the first Christian women martyrs.  Alas she is not as popular a saint as she once was and only 4 churches remain dedicated to remembering her name ... the church was founded in the 4th century A.D.

Click here to see the pictorial evidence of the visit and reviews of the wines tasted.

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