Lavender and sage with berries and dried strawberries, but so perfumed and subtle. Medium- to full-bodied with very fine tannins that are totally integrated with finesse and beauty at the end. Caresses your palate. Best after 2028.

Fresh and pure, evoking cherry, raspberry, rose, iron and woodsy aromas and flavors, this is complex and solidly built, with a touch of creaminess to its texture and a superlong, expressive finish. Combines finesse and intensity. Best from 2026 through 2043. 125 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barbaresco Select to Add

A dense and very tightly wound style, with the structure offering a firm grip on the well-defined core of rose, cherry, strawberry and currant flavors. Long and resonant on the finish, with an aftertaste of mineral, tobacco and earth. Best from 2023 through 2043. 300 cases imported.??–BS??Region: Italy / Piedmont / Barbaresco Select to Add

In terms of production numbers, this is one of the smallest vintages we've seen from the Costa Russi vineyard. Thanks to replanting efforts, about half of the old vines were ripped out in 2017 (compared to the 2016 vintage that made 10,000 bottles with the whole vineyard in production). The Gaja 2017 Barbaresco Costa Russi offers a warmer and softer character compared to Sorì San Lorenzo and Sorì Tildìn. Overall, the wine is richer and more textured. I definitely taste the vintage heat with its slightly sweeter and more accessible tones of cherry, cassis and fragrant blue flower. Costa Russi is usually defined by lifted notes of aniseed and sambuco, and you get those here too, although they are a less pronounced in this vintage. This is a balanced and carefully assembled Barbaresco with a lean approach backed by fine tannins and bright acidity.