2018 - Barolo Sperss, Gaja

With fruit from Serralunga d'Alba, the Gaja 2018 Barolo Sperss is impossible to confuse with any other Barolo. The bouquet has a firm, etched quality with dark fruit, pencil shavings, iron and red brick. But there is also a fragrant interlude of wild cherry, forest fruit and orange peel. The Barolo Conteisa shows more overall ripeness and silkiness in this vintage, but the Sperss is all about muscle, power and structure. It promises a longer aging potential and bottle evolution.

The 2018 Barolo Sperss is a gorgeous, gorgeous wine. The aromatics alone are beguiling. Then again, that's one of the things that makes Barolo such a totally seductive wine. Sweet black cherry, lavender, spice and leather give this unusually translucent Barolo striking layers of dimension. Potent Serralunga tannins are present, but they are beautifully woven into the wine's fabric. Sadly, production is around 11,000 bottles, down sharply from the 18,000 or so that is more typical.

Gaja's 2018 Barolo Sperss (the name means nostalgia in local Piemontese dialect) and is in Serralunga. I remember Angelo Gaja tellling me his father Giovanni used to spend some of his childhood autumns in Serralunga, helping friends with the harvest and he had very fond memories of the place. The name of the wine pays homage to this. This 2018 has a lovely bright ruby color and pretty aromatics. On standing the nose becomes a little floral with green herb notes, lilac, smoke and lots of sweet oak spice. Now and then there are hints of rose, cinnamon, nutmeg and cream. Sperss is a longer and more linear wine with much more chalky-textured, assertive tannins and less roundness than Conteisa. It has a lighter mid-palate that reflects the vintage but a sublime texture and that weightless quality that is so special. Drink for up to 20-25 years.

'A mild, dry winter was followed by a very rainy and cold spring. Rain and below-average temperatures continued throughout the growing season until the sunny, windy, and fresh September brought the grapes to maturity. After the late harvest, grapes in the Barolo area showed excellent ripeness, with high acidity, thick skins, and soft tannins.' Sperss is in Serralunga d’Alba. Poured from magnum. Pale ruby. A richer raspberry nose that the Barbarescos poured previously, with hints of cinnamon and with impressive depth. Supple pure raspberry on the palate with a thick layer of coating tannins. Beautiful length and freshness. Elegance is key. (WS)