The centerpiece of the portfolio, GAJA Barbaresco is a testament to the Gaja family's historic commitment to the appellation and its belief that Barbaresco stands proudly with the great growing regions of the world. The GAJA winery stopped sourcing fruit from other growers in 1961 in order to ensure the utmost quality in its wines. In all, GAJA Barbaresco is produced using grapes grown in 14 vineyards in the village of Barbaresco. In 2012, the single-vineyards were not bottled, as they were not quite up to GAJA standards. The flagship Barbaresco benfitted from this situation as it received grapes from the Sori San Lorenzo, Sori Tildin and Costa Russi vineyards together with grapes from 5 out of 14 vineyards usually involved in producing this wine. COLOR: Garnet AROMA: The nose is almost sensual in its complexity, with aromas of forest fruits, plums, licorice, mineral and coffee scents. TASTE: Long, complex finish with fine, silk-like tannins and good acidity; dense structure, full of super-ripe fruit.