2000 Gaja Langhe Sperss

Gaja’s 2000 Sperss is wonderfully open and radiant. Layers of dark fruit, grilled herbs, cassis and smoke saturate the palate in this powerful, stunningly beautiful Sperss. Gorgeous inner perfume and a long, intense finish round things out in style. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030. Angelo Gaja’s 2000s are a bit of a mystery. The wines were absolutely beautiful upon release and equally impressive when I tasted them a few years later for the 7th edition of Parker’s Wine Buyers Guide. The 2000s were far less convincing when I tasted them in November 2010. All of the wines were initially very reticent and closed. After an hour or two in the glass they opened for about 30 minutes before closing back down again. Gaja thinks the wines are passing through a stage of inaccessibility. If anyone deserves the benefit of the doubt it is Gaja. I can’t remember the last older wine from this cellar that was a disappointment or that hadn’t aged well, and I have been privileged to taste the vast majority of wines that have been made here under Angelo Gaja’s tenure. Time will ultimately tell where these wines are headed, but this was not an especially flattering showing for Gaja’s 2000s. That said, most producers would be thrilled to have wines like these in their cellars. In some ways, Gaja is a victim of his own success. He sets such a high bar with his finest vintages; it is only natural to expect greatness all the time. The 2000s fall a bit short of that mark but are quite strong in the context of the year.

Good full red. Wonderfully sweet, pure aromas of red berries, minerals and smoky oak, with suggestions of tar and dried rose; subdued and aristocratic. Then juicy and precise, with superb clarity of flavor and cut. Sweet, classy, penetrating wine that showcases the structure and energy of Serralunga. Finishes with broad, strong tannins. A superb performance for this vintage, and likely to merit an even higher score six to eight years down the road.

The 2000 Sperss, from Serralunga d’Alba, is logically the more intense and sustained of the entire line, very fresh, tarry, resinous, and licorice-laden, deep and mouth-filling in flavor, potent, large-framed, and with a decisive strength and grip on the finish. It will drink well for over a decade and a half to come. Daniel Thomases, Wine Advocate # 160.