Gaja

Angelo Gaja is arguably the most important figure in modern Italian wine. When he took over the family estate in Barbaresco in 1961, he set out to transform the region from a rural backwater into one of the world's great wine appellations — introducing French oak barriques, single-vineyard bottlings, and uncompromising quality standards that were radical departures from local tradition.

The three legendary single-vineyard wines — Sorì Tildìn, Sorì San Lorenzo, and Costa Russi — are among the most sought-after in Italy. Though controversially declassified to Langhe DOC when small quantities of Cabernet Sauvignon were blended in the 1990s, they remain Barbaresco in spirit, terroir, and soul.

The estate has since expanded to Barolo (Sperss and Conteisa from Serralunga and La Morra), Tuscany's Bolgheri (Ca' Marcanda) and Montalcino (Pieve Santa Restituta). Across every appellation, the Gaja style is unmistakable: wines of extraordinary concentration, aromatic complexity, and the kind of authority that comes from six decades of unbroken commitment to excellence.