Gaja   Sori San Lorenzo

2007 Sori San Lorenzo

By Gaja

2007 Sorì San Lorenzo by Gaja, Italy

The landscape of fine wines from Italy would be bereft without the monumental contribution of Sorì San Lorenzo. The 2007 vintage from Gaja distills the essence of what makes Langhe's terroir so remarkable. The year was marked by an optimal balance of climatic elements, allowing the meticulously tended Nebbiolo vines to blossom and develop beautiful clusters of happiness.

 

Gaja, a beacon in Italian wine sphere

This illustrious producer needs no introduction, their commitment to quality is the stuff of legends. To limit Gaja to a mere producer would be a reduction - they are in fact the architects, crafting masterpieces with each passing vintage.

The 2007 Sorì San Lorenzo from Gaja does not deviate from this celebrated standard. On sipping this libation, one is met first with an industrious nose, bursting with plum, tar and fresh summer truffle aromas.

 

Ripe berries couple with Langhe’s signature kick

As the wine opens up, it unveils variegated layers of ripe blackberries and cherries harmoniously mingling with Langhe's signature earthy punch. Captivating wisps of rose petals and licorice unfurl on the palate creating a mesmeric symphony performed over a seasoned oak stage.

The year 2007 was particularly kind, offering ample sun exposure nudged by cool winds for the Nebbiolo grapes, yielding wines ripe with robust fruits yet retaining that provocative acidity - a performance only grand vintages can command.

The richness imparted by this magnificent weather seamlessly combines with Langhe's minerality, resulting in a voluptuous texture that provides intriguing depth. The mysticism carried by the 2007 Sorì San Lorenzo doesn’t halt here - the sensual, long-lasting finish assures this vintage retains its place in every discerning wine investor's heart.

This riveting masterpiece, the 2007 Sorì San Lorenzo from Gaja, embodies what classifies Italian wines as a lucrative and attractive proposition for fine wine investment portfolios. Affirming once again that astute investors understand - It's not just wine; it's history cupped in a gorgeous dance of terrestrial divinity and human ingenuity.

Current market price

$6,620.00

12x75cl

Highest score

98

POP score

221.11

Scores and tasting notes

98

The 2007 Langhe Sori San Lorenzo is perhaps the most massive, virile wine in this lineup, and accordingly it will require the most time. Tannic and austere at the outset, the wine gradually opens to reveal staggering richness and depth in its dark fruit. The wine turns more elegant in the glass, revealing a myriad of black fruit, tar, licorice, spices and scorched earth in a dazzling display of class and elegance. This is one for the ages. Anticipated maturity: 2027-2047. My most recent visit to Gaja was quite an experience, as I tasted all of the estate’s 1989s, 1990s and 2007s. The 1989s and 1990s are reviewed in this issue’s What About Now feature. Angelo Gaja, always loquacious on a wide range of subjects, says virtually nothing about his wines, an approach I have increasingly come to appreciate in an era where so many producers are constantly in pitch mode. Then again, Gaja doesn’t really need to say anything, the wines speak for themselves. I tasted the 2007s at the winery in November 2009 and then again in New York in January 2010. Both times they were spectacular. Stylistically the 2007s remind me of the 1997s in terms of their opulence. Gaja’s wines are often immensely appealing when young – which is certainly the case with the 2007s – but then close down in bottle for a number of years, sometimes many years. My impression is that the Costa Russi and Conteisa are the most likely of these 2007s to offer the widest drinking windows throughout their lives with a minimum of cellaring. Fermentation and malolactic fermentation take place in steel. The wines then spend approximately one year in French oak and a second year in cask prior to being bottled. As has been the case for a number of years now, Gaja’s Langhe wines incorporate a small percentage of Barbera. On a final note, it’s great to see Gaja’s daughters Gaia and Rossana increasingly involved in the winery. They, and their younger brother Giovanni, have big shoes to fill, but couldn’t have asked for better teachers than Angelo and Lucia Gaja. Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604 8900

Antonio Galloni - The Wine Advocate, 26 February 2010

Vintage performance