Gaja Alteni di Brassica, Langhe, Italy

嘉雅酒莊奧特伯塞白葡萄酒

點擊次數：13797

Recently, I had the lucky opportunity to taste back vintages of this wine at various dinners and masterclasses, and it blew me away each time. The Gaja family is using this bottle as a banner of sorts to show the aging potential of their white wines in advance of a secretive new project to soon add more whites to the family portfolio. The 2020 Langhe Alteni di Brassica shows tropical tones and sweet peach. It feels large and generous to the palate. Pretty mineral tones, even a hint of white pepper, add focus. The wine is not all nerves; there is creamy richness here. Winemaking sees 85% stainless steel, and a smaller part goes into tonneaux. It rests on the fine lees for 18 months with no malolactic fermentation. You'd do well to give this wine some time in your cellar.

The 2017 Langhe Alteni di Brassica (a pure expression of Sauvignon Blanc) offers tonic freshness, zesty citrus, white peach and crushed oyster shell. The harvest came early in this hot growing season with the grapes coming off the vines as early as August 17th. That early picking date served to keep the aromas fresh and the fruit crunchy. Gaia Gaja tells me that the fruit was super concentrated in this vintage, and the clusters were so small she called them "bonsai grapes." In addition to the concentrated aromas, the wine also shows a level of freshness that comes as a very pleasant surprise. Evidently, the acidity was also concentrated into those tiny berries.

Here is a crisp and zesty wine that is easy to drink—and easy to read, thanks to its inherent simplicity and transparency. The 2016 Langhe Alteni di Brassica is a pure expression of Sauvignon Blanc that did not do malolactic fermentation. One third of the mass ages in stainless steel and the rest sees contact with natural barrel for a crisp and lighthearted expression of this fragrant grape. The cool growing conditions of the vintage contribute to the tangy freshness of this pretty wine.

The delightful 2015 Langhe Alteni di Brassica is a pure expression of Sauvignon Blanc. This is the only white wine in Angelo Gaja's line that does not complete malolactic fermentation. The bouquet is exuberant and bright with green notes of salvia, wild oregano and white pepper. Those sharper tones are followed by bright layers of tropical fruit and zesty citrus. Drying mineral notes give sharp contours to the overall effect. This wine will be released in June.

The delightful 2013 Langhe Alteni di Brassica (Sauvignon Blanc) shows fullness and ripeness with bright aromas of exotic fruit, white flower, wild sage and crushed white stone. This was a slightly cooler vintage and you get a beautiful sense of varietal pureness, focus and sharpness as a result. Melon and white rose make for a fitting close. The mouthfeel is lean, but not to be underestimated. The wine leaves a long, crisp sensation on the palate.