義大利Gaja酒廠由Giovanni Gaja先生創立於1859年，自創立至今已承傳到第四代，由Giovanni Gaja的曾孫Angelo Gaja先生經營管理，而Gaja家族也持續為了釀造出高品質的葡萄酒而努力。
Angelo Gaja從1960年代開始把自家的葡萄園大幅度減產以提高品質；1970年代開始將他的酒儲存於小型橡木桶中陳年；他從法國直接採購橡木，然後在Barbaresco陳放成熟，再由當地桶匠製成符合他需求的酒桶；他也是Piedmont最早引進溫控的不銹鋼槽發酵設備的先鋒；他率先在Piedmont種植法國的著名葡萄品種；此外他還堅持進行兩個星期的乳酸發酵。這些做法在Piedmont都是創舉。Barolo和Barbaresco的革新風潮的盛行主要是在1980年代開始的，也就是說Angelo Gaja的做法領先了當地的同業大約20年。Wine Spectator雜誌曾評論說他"no producer anywhere in the last 50 years has made such an impact on the international wine scene"。如今他的葡萄酒是全義大利售價最昂貴的，市場上的售價已經可以匹敵波爾多五大酒莊的產品；如果單以產品售價來論，Angelo Gaja已經是義大利葡萄酒界的天王！
WA: 96 Drink: 2018-2033
The 2008 Sori Tildin is impressive. I confess I wasn’t quite prepared for the assault of fruit and tannins here. Sori Tildin is so often a graceful, elegant wine, but that is not the case in 2008. That’s not to say elegance is missing, but this is a big, big wine with tons of intensity and richness, all woven together beautifully. It’s tough to find a comparison with a previous vintage, as this is a singular Tildin. The flavors are familiar if a touch on the dark side, but the structure is closer than that of Sori San Lorenzo. Flowers, tar, leather and licorice wrap around the palate. This is a fabulous showing and a great wine in the making. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2033.
This is a stunning set of wines from Angelo Gaja and his team in Barbaresco. Those who think 2008 is a truly great year for Nebbiolo must have tasted these wines. In a vintage that is inconsistent across the villages of Barbaresco, Gaja has produced not one but four stellar wines. As fabulous as these wines are, they aren’t especially true to type, as I explain in these notes. The 2008s I tasted in the US showed far better than the bottles I tasted in Barbaresco during the summer. Perhaps the onset of the cool fall weather gave these wines a little more spine than they had during the sweltering heat of August. Readers who want to learn more about the 2011 harvest at Gaja may want to take a look at my video interview with Gaia Gaja and vineyard manager Giorgio Culasso.
