The Winery: Located in Piedmont in northwestern Italy, the GAJA winery is widely considered to be one of the greatest estates in the world, producing coveted and collectible labels.

The Wine: First Chardonnay planted in Piemonte and the first Italian white wined aged in barriques, Gaia & Rey was named by Angelo after his first daughter, Gaia, and Grandmother Clotilde Rey.

2021 was a late vintage, tending to be dry but cool, resulting in wines of great volume and richness marked by savoriness and length, generous even on the nose, with intense and complex aromas.

Abundant snowfall and low temperatures led to an unusually severe, rainy winter, followed by a dry spring. Temperatures picked up again in mid-March, accelerating the plant life cycle. Unfortunately, the cold temperatures returned in early April with icy winds that channeled through the valleys and affected the lower vineyards, especially in the Barbaresco area. Other Barbaresco vineyards affected by frost recorded minimal losses of 5%. Our Barolo vineyards are located at higher altitudes and survived the frost unscathed. The summer rolled out dramatically with a bright and windy start, a hot and violent midseason, characterized by frequent thunderstorms, and ended hot and dry. While both benefited from thunderstorms that cooled the land, powdery mildew became a real threat in Barbaresco in July. A redeeming rainfall came at the end of August, refreshing the Barbaresco and Barolo vineyards and making the white varieties ready for harvest in early September.

A classic example of Chardonnay from Langhe. The nose shows bright notes of citrus, lemon zest, verbena, and lemongrass that evolve into more complex hints of graphite, white pepper, and marjoram, all with underlying tones of delicate white flowers. In the mouth, the citrus-like acidity and soft, enveloping, barely perceptible wood come together to create a fresh entry on the palate.

The lingering acidity and hints of honey make for a long, elegant finish. Marked aromatic persistence and after taste of anise and almond.