Their top wines will leave you little change from €200, but the Gaja family, from Piedmont, have no shortage of customers
Barbaresco has 600 residents, four restaurants - two with Michelin stars - one church and 79 wineries. It wasn't always so in the northern Italian village, at least as far as the number of wineries was concerned. But then, about 40 years ago, Angelo Gaja took on the family business and revolutionised the making and the marketing of its wine, becoming in the process arguably the single most important winemaker in his country.
Today this part of Piedmont is home to some of Italy's finest wines, notably the rich red named after the town and the brooding majesty of Barolo, both products of the Nebbiolo grape.
Gaia Gaja, Angelo's 27-year-old daughter, knows this story well, but she still tells it with gusto. Being an integral part of the story helps. Gaia & Rey, a wine named after her and her great-grandmother Clotilde Rey, is widely touted as Italy's greatest Chardonnay.
But today we are tasting a Chardonnay called after her sister Rosanna. Rossj-Bass 2004 (€35-40), the introductory wine to the Gaja white line-up, has a fetching soft citrus nose and a smooth texture of restrained elegance.
The fact that there is white wine at all is testament to Angelo Gaja's vision. Piedmont is renowned for its red wines, but Gaja believed he could make great white wines, too. He has also spread his wings into Tuscany, where wines of the calibre of the 2003 Promis (€25-30), a beguiling blend of Merlot, Syrah and Sangiovese, are made in the family's Ca'Marcanda estate.
All pale, however, beside the 1990 Sperss Barolo, a wine of stunning elegance and concentration. Gaia Gaja brought this bottle to Dublin - it is no longer for sale here - to demonstrate Gaja wines' ability to age. Case proven. (The 2001 Sperss will set you back about €170.)
This kind of quality costs serious money, at both the production and retail ends. Gaia Gaja says that the last time a hectare of land in Barbaresco changed hands it cost €500,000.
In 2002 Gaja produced only two of its normal 11-wine range, as the weather-affected wine wasn't considered good enough. In 2003 there was no Gaja wine at all, for the same reason. Against that the 1996-2001 vintages were exceptional. Even though prices are forbidding, there is no shortage of customers. I can see why.
Gaja wines are distributed in Ireland by Best Cellars. They are available from Michael's, in Mount Merrion, and Brechin Watchorn, in Ranelagh and Terenure
BOTTLES OF THE WEEK
Alberto Longo, Cacc'e Mmitte di Lecera, 2004, €18.95 This is a lovely oak-free red from the heel of Italy, in Apulia, where, traditionally, quantity eclipses quality. But not this time. A blend of three Italian varieties - Uva di Troia, Montepulciano and Bombino Bianco - it has a nose of earthy, perfumed sweetness with notes of leather and cherries, a creamy seductive texture and a sleek finish. A big wow factor. From Michael's, Mount Merrion, Co Dublin.
Chianti Classico Riserva 1999, Castellani, €13.49 (€9.49 from May 31st to June 27th) A riserva from a good year from a sound producer is a safe bet. This Chianti has intense black fruit on the nose, is fairly rich, with chewy tannins, and offers a smooth, cherry-filled finish. Very good value at €9.49. From Dunnes Stores.