The Gaja family has been based in Piedmont since the mid-17th century. The winery in Barbaresco was founded in 1859 by Giovanni Gaja, the great-grandfather of the current owner, Angelo Gaja. Angelo was also the name of the founder's son, who married the legendary Clotilde Rey in 1905. Together, the two of them laid the foundation for the quality philosophy that has characterized the company to this day. The third generation was represented by Giovanni Gaja, the son of Angelo and Clotilde, who died in November 2002. He made the Barbaresco his flagship and achieved a top position on the national market with this wine. He increased the vineyard property by buying the Sorì San Lorenzo, Sorì Tildìn, Costa Russi and Darmagi sites and created the basis for further qualitative progress with the expansion of the cellar.
His son Angelo, the current owner of the estate, represents the fourth generation of the Gaja family. He follows in his father's footsteps and therefore wants to use only grapes from his own vineyards for wine production - as owner and producer. In 1961 he joined the company and since then he has been working for the dissemination and success of the knowledge of Barbaresco on foreign markets. He lives in Barbaresco with his wife Lucia, who supports him with their daughters Gaia and Rossana and their son Giovanni. Today the Gaja family owns 100 hectares of vineyards in the Barbaresco area (communes of Barbaresco and Treiso) and Barolo (Serralunga and La Morra).
In 1994 Angelo Gaja acquired his first Tuscan winery, Pieve Santa Restituta in Montalcino. Two Brunello di Montalcino are produced on 16 hectares of their own vineyards, Rennina and Sugarille. In 1996 Gaja bought a second estate in Tuscany, Ca' Marcanda in Castagneto Carducci. Mainly Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as some Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Sangiovese were planted on 100 hectares. The wines from Ca' Marcanda are called Promis, Magari and Camarcanda and were launched on the market for the first time with the 2000 vintage.
The Langhe hills, with their steep slopes of calcareous clay, are home to the Nebbiolo grape and its long-lived, individual wines: Barbaresco, Barolo and Langhe Nebbiolo. The classic Barbaresco and Barolo were traditionally bottled as a blend of several Nebbiolo vineyards. In the 1960s and 1970s, leading winegrowers began to vinify Nebbiolo grapes from special individual sites separately. Today Gaja produces the classic Barbaresco D.O.C.G. and five single-vineyard Nebbiolo wines: Sorì San Lorenzo, Sorì Tildìn and Costa Russi from the Barbaresco zone and Sperss and Conteisa from the Barolo zone. Up to and including the 1995 vintage, the Gaja single layers were called Barbaresco or Barolo. From the 1996 vintage, the Nebbiolo single layers were called Langhe Nebbiolo D.O.C. labeled. Thanks to the uniqueness of the sites and their exposure, the Langhe terroir can produce outstanding wines from both autochthonous and non-traditional grape varieties. All Gaja wines come from grapes from their own vineyards.
GAJA
Via Torino 5
12050 Barbaresco Italia
