This morning we are delighted to be able to re-release Gaja’s monolithic Barolo ‘Sperss’ 2010. The 2010 vintage has already cemented itself as a great of the modern era in Barolo. The growing season provided wonderful conditions for winemaking, with cool weather and late-ripening, resulting in wines with vibrant aromatics, beautifully defined fruit and delightful balance. This has resulted in one of the finest ever Gaja ‘Sperss’, which has been awarded 96 points from Monica Larner of the Wine Advocate, 97 from the Wine Spectator and 95+ from Antonio Galloni. We originally released this in the summer of 2014, with several years in bottle and a production of less than 2,500 cases we are very pleased to secure another small parcel at such an attractive price; £620 in bond per case of six bottles.
It would now appear to be the perfect time to secure this wine, with the similar scoring other vintages trading at a very attractive premium, the equal scoring 2004 has already reached £950 per case of six and this presents a very telling watermark. It is instructive also that the 95 scoring 2011 was released for £660 per case of six, so the 2010 looks a very strong buy at today’s price. The 2010 will reward with decades of stunning drinking potential, combined with capital appreciation, £620 will surely look like a superb purchase in in the years to come.
| Vintage | WA | Price (6x75cl) |
| 2010 | 96 | £620 |
| 2009 | 95 | £660 |
| 2008 | 96+ | £710 |
| 2006 | 97 | £740 |
| 2004 | 96 | £950 |
| 1997 | 99 | £1,700 |
The story of Gaja ‘Sperss’ begins in 1961 when Angelo bravely decided to stop buying fruit from other growers in Barolo in order to standardise quality, however it was inevitable that this would result in many years without any Gaja Barolo being released to market. In 1988, Gaja purchased a 30 acre vineyard in one of Serralunga’s best areas, which ended 30 years of Gaja’s absence from Barolo production. Angelo affectionately named it ‘Sperss’, which is Piedmontese for ‘nostalgia’. This name pays reverence to the winery and the generations that fashioned it.
‘Sperss’ is made from a single vineyard in the celebrated Marenca-Rivetta site on the eastern appellation of the great village of Serralunga d’Alba, where the soils date back to Helvetian era. The soil has plenty of tightly packed sandstone, which produces a fuller style of wine, with the defining flavours of rose petal, tar, earth and mushroom. The ‘Sperss’ thus lends itself towards a more powerful, richer style that when combined with the elegance and nuance of the 2010 vintage results in something very special.
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