Gaja Wine

I was interested to learn more on Gaja Wine after the colorful story in Prof. Hannan's reading and the discussion in class.  Prof. Hannan's book went into some depth about Angelo Gaja's pivotal role in advent of modernization in the Piemonte region, including reducing bunches per plant, introducing the Bordeaux barrique to improve color and remove unpleasant aspects from the botti, making the wine less overwhelmingly tannic, and pioneering the promulgation of single-cru wines.  While less social perhaps than Elio Altare, he also had a great influence in the region and beyond.

I think it's particularly impressive to see this level of vitality an entire century after the winery was founded.  One issue that comes up in family business is a certain attachment to tradition that makes innovation harder, but the intense rupture wrought after multiple generations here is a testament that sometimes the apple can fall pretty far from the tree (or grape from the vine, perhaps).  Also of particular interest considering our discussion of super-Tuscans today, Gaja acquired properties in Tuscany in the 1990s (in Bolgheri and Montalcino, see http://terlatowines.com/brands/italy/gaja) and now makes a greater amount of wine in Tuscany than in Piemonte.

Piemonte is a region near the border with France and Switzerland, and the collision of nationalities is reflected in the Gaja family -- the family name is Spanish, and original proprietor Giovanni Gaja's (apparently of French extraction) wife Clothilde Rey was seen as a key force pushing the family towards the level of quality that set it apart (http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2014/10/10-things-every-wine-lover-should-know-about-gaja).  I think in an era where it really was challenging to travel too far, being close to France helped in Angelo's discovery and incorporation of French quality standards, including the use of the barrique.

Notably, Angelo ended up hiring an enologist to concentrate on the winemaking while he focused on sales, marketing, and acquisitions.  Though Angelo had clearly taken an active stance in the winemaking process against his father Giovanni, in the use of barriques but also around the planting of French grapes in the precious Italian soil.  While in the family and in the popular imagination he is known as a key modernizer, he did actually oppose some modern techniques such as shorter maceration periods

Today Gaja appears to command an impressive reputation at some truly high-end destinations in the US, a testament to its enduring reach another couple generations on.  Two of the highest-rated restaurants in the Bay Area clearly appreciate this high-end Italian offering: The French Laundry carries thirteen Gaja offerings in its selection, ranging from $175 to as high as $1,600.  The Restaurant at Meadowood carries one Gaja (and a Grappa).  Both of these restaurants are rated as two of the best in the entire country.  Quality is of paramount importance, and Gaja has been known to declassify vintages that fell below standards.

Though the most priceless bit I learned about Signore Gaja pertains to another character in a recent class, Mr. Robert Mondavi, and the ongoing tension between New World and Old World.  Angelo almost completed a joint venture with Mondavi, but backed out with this quip: it would be "like a mosquito having sex with an elephant: very dangerous and not much fun."