2009 Barbaresco Gaiun Martinenga

Gresy has done a great job with the 2009 Barbaresco Gaiun, a wine that captures the personality of the year yet also expresses so much site character. Deceptively medium in body, the 2009 impresses for its energy, focus and length. The ripeness of the fruit is there, but the 2009 also has plenty of Nebbiolo tannin, energy and acidity. I would cellar the 2009 for at least a few years. This is a very pretty, well-balanced and harmonious Barbaresco to drink now and over the next decade. The finish alone is striking.

The 2009 Barbaresco Gaiun Martinenga is aged in French barrique and this additional contact with oak has given the wine the extra legs its needs to cope with the challenges of the vintage. It opens with a sultry, dark appearance and delivers earthy aromas of underbrush, button mushroom, hummus, dried berries and pressed flowers. It follows through to the palate with a refined, but streamlined feel. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2022. Very few people can match the energy and enthusiasm of Alberto di Gresy, one of the true gentlemen of Italian wine. Of his various holdings, none is more impressive than the 11-hectare Martinenga cru. It opens like a veritable amphitheater of grapevines with the winery positioned where an imaginary orchestra pit could be. This stunning vineyard is characterized by south-facing exposures and blue marl soils for the production of some of the area’s finest and most elegant wines. If I were to draw a list of the ten most beautiful vineyards in Italy, Martinenga would surely be among them. Importer: Dalla Terra Winery Direct, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-5405