High-level view of Gaja Langhe winemaking process

In my most recent post, I covered changes in the Gaja agronomical practices since 2000. While there have been no meaningful changes in the winemaking processes during that time, providing a rounded picture of the Gaja Langhe environment dictates an overview of those processes. 

The table below shows the range of Gaja Langhe offerings at the point of my first visit a little less than 5 years ago.

In the table, five of the Nebbiolo wines are labeled Langhe Nebbiolo DOC. Angelo felt that a 100% Nebbiolo required bolstering to measure up to his vision and, to that end, added small amounts of Barbera to round out the wines. These additions meant that the wines could not be labeled DOCG. After seeing the quality of grapes that have become almost the norm in the Langhe in recent years, Angelo has made the decision to produce his wines to the DOCG specs beginning with the 2015 vintage.

The cellar is divided into three parts: (i) Fermentation cellar – all stainless steel tanks; (ii) first-year aging – barrique and tonneau, all French oak, and up to 20% new (first-, second-, and third-year passage); and (iii) second-year aging – large oak casks, Austrian and Slavonian oak.

If we look at a blend of the 14 parcels that go into the Barbaresco DOCG, the plots are kept separate through harvesting, destemming, fermentation, and first-year aging. The blend takes place in passage from the small barrels to large barrels. The wine spends one year in large barrels, a 50/50 split between the two regimes. The style, then, is dictated by the length of maceration and the proportion between barrique and tonneau.

This was my second visit to Gaja and the notes on the wines that I tasted on my initial visit can be found here. On this visit we tasted three Langhe wines and one from Montalcino. The notes from the most recent tasting follow.

The first wine tasted was a 2012 Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino. The estate generally draws fruit from south-and north-facing slopes but with the warm temperatures, the south-facing vineyard produced overripe fruit. The wine was opened the morning of the tasting. Sweet, dark, juicy fruit with attractive tannin levels. A food wine. Austere, smoky finish.

The Barbaresco 2014 was opened the day prior to the tasting. Not very concentrated (Sarah talks about a Burgundian style). Sweet, pale fruit with hints of carbonic maceration. Florality. Tar. On the palate strawberries, cherries and aggressive tannins.

The Sperss 1999 showed oak and sweet fruit, tobacco, rust, blackpepper, and a savoriness. Rose tar and spice on the palate. Richness and laid-down tannins.

The Gaia&Rey 2009 showed sweet fruit, oak and baking spices. Curry and tropical fruit. Utilized whole-bunch fermentation in this ripe vintage. Never tried it again. And I can understand why.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Gaja Winery agronomical practices aimed at promoting vineyard flexibility

The Gaja wine making process has been the same since 2000 but its agronomical processes have changed within that time frame to accommodate the unpredictability and warming associated with climate change. So said Sarah at the start of our tour and tasting at the Gaja Winery on May 15th of this year. In highlighting this unpredictability, Sarah pointed to the hail that the region experienced in April; hail that came after two weeks of warmth that had encouraged the growth of young, delicate leaves.

To combat this emergent new-normal, the estate has to be flexible in the vineyard. In the course of our conversation Sarah spelt out a number of practices that they have employed in pursuit of this flexibility.

Cover Crops
Grass planted between the rows and tailored to the resident soil. For example, if the soil is compact, cover crops with strong roots will be planted in an effort to open up the soil. One of the many benefits of cover crops is its nitrogen-fixation capability but if the need is to reduce nutrients in the soil, a different type of cover crop can be planted.

In a vintage like 2014, there was a need to reduce the humidity in the soil so the grass was cut three or four times a week in order to remove water. In 2015, a dry period, they did not cut the grass and the carpet of dry grass helped to keep the moisture in the soil.

Most Piemonte vineyard rows are oriented horizontally (Giropoggio), but, since the 1970s, Gaja vineyards have been oriented vertically. This orientation, according to Sarah, slows down sugar production but can contribute to soil erosion during periods of heavy rain. Cover crops are impoprtant in limiting this erosion.

Staffing
Gaja has 96 ha of vineyards spread between Barbaresco and Barolo and applying the estate's agronomical principles consistently requires skilled, competent, and committed employees. Towards this end, Gaja provides housing to its employees in close proximity to their work locale. There are currently 85 employees living in 26 houses distributed across the Langhe holdings. The degree of skill and commitment is reflected in the fact that only eight Gaja employees are allowed to prune the vines; and five of them are second-generation. This degree of focus and specialization allows the estate to maintain high levels of quality over all its holdings for extensive periods of time.

Scion Selection
The average Gaja vine is between 50 and 55 years old. At the end of each growing season, vineyard employees will identify the vines which performed best that year. Cuttings will be taken from those vines and planted in the nursery. If there is a need to replace a damaged vine, one of these "superior-performing" cuttings will be deployed.

Biodiversity
There is a concerted program to increase biodiversity in the vineyards. For example, there are 45 beehives scattered around the vineyards. These bees help with the pollination of the cover crops and thus aid in the advancement of the flora and fauna that they support. "The spic and span approach is not the best way to keep balance in the vineyard," Sarah said.

Sarah making one of her many points

Cypress trees are not native to Piemonte but there are in excess of 250 of them scattered across the Gaja vineyards. In addition to Angelo liking the shape of the trees, their compact structure affords protection for smaller birds from marauding larger predator birds. These smaller birds and bats are major consumers of insects.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme