BY MITCH FRANK // PHOTOGRAPHS BY ANDREA WYNER wice a week, Angelo Gaja leaves his house in the hilltop town of Barbaresco at 4:30 a.m., climbs into his black Audi A6 and heads for the highway. It’s the be- ginning of a 250-mile trek. He’ll stop once for coffee and a pastry, and then drive on until he arrives at one of his two wineries in Tuscany. Gaja says he likes to make the trip in the early hours of morning seated, he appears to be in motion. Electricity seems to crackle in because the road is largely empty, he can think and he can drive fast. his pale blue eyes. Gaja drives very fast. For most people, it takes four to five hours to And at 71, he still dreams big, but also manages to focus on all drive from Barbaresco to central Tuscany. Gaja does it in three. the minute details needed to make those dreams reality. Leading At 71 years old, he shows no signs of slowing down. He walks visitors around his winery in Barbaresco, he can’t help himself when quickly and always with purpose, leaving men half his age strug- he sees something amiss. “Excuse me,” he says mid-sentence, and gling to keep up. He speaks rapidly, whether in Italian, English or calls a staff member to report that an electrical socket cover is miss- his native Piedmontese dialect. No matter what language he speaks, ing and must be fixed. While he’s on the phone, he mentions that he gestures in Italian—waving his hands, gripping the table, punc- he’s not thrilled with the glassware arrayed for a tasting flight. tuating statements by slicing the air with one finger. Even when You might suspect that his boundless energy would make Gaja 40 Wine Spectator • oct. 31, 2011 OCT.oct . 31,31, 20112011 • Wine SpeSpectatorCTator 41 exhausting to be around; however, his enthusiasm is infectious and focusing on international varieties such as Merlot and Cabernet his energy has a purpose. For 50 years he has used it to produce Sauvignon. outstanding wines. In the process, he has helped change the global Gaja’s success has put the spotlight squarely on him, but he re- image of Italian wine. jects the superhero image. “Because I traveled so much for my In 1961, when the young Gaja took the reins at his family win- wines, people began to think Gaja is Angelo Gaja,” he says. “This ery, Italian wine was mostly cheap, often enjoyable, but rarely se- is not right.” rious. He was at the forefront of a new generation of winemakers Despite its global reach, the Gaja company is a classic Italian in Italy that both improved quality by questioning the old tech- family winery. Angelo is the fourth generation in a family of wine niques and improved sales by convincing the world that these new producers, and his ambition is a family trait. His grandmother, who Italian wines deserved respect. managed the winery for almost 60 years, was legendary in Bar- “Angelo’s wines have had a great impact on Italy,” says Lamberto baresco for her discipline and devotion to quality. When Angelo Frescobaldi, whose family has made wine in Tuscany for 700 years. was a boy, she pushed him to learn the family business, telling him “Not an impact on style, but on complexity, on wines making a that a career in wine would bring him “money, hope and glory.” statement. Wine has to make an impression on people’s minds. Ambition, energy, devotion—these are in Gaja’s genes. And he Angelo has given many of us that vision.” is teaching those qualities to a fifth generation of Gajas. His two Other winemakers shared that vision, in places like Barolo, Mon- daughters, Gaia and Rossana, now work with him and his wife, talcino, Bolgheri and more, but Lucia, in the family business. Gaia, Gaja made the biggest splash. For the eldest, is gradually becoming decades, he did the grunt work, GAJA’s enthusiaSM IS INFEC- the new public face of Gaja wines visiting restaurants and retailers TIOUS AND HIS ENERGY HAS A in overseas markets. Angelo’s son, in new markets, first in Europe, Giovanni, just 18, may be joining then in America and Asia. He PURPOSE. FOR 50 YEARS HE the company soon. was always eager to meet people HAS USED IT TO PRODUCE OUT- At the end of the day, this win- face to face—sommeliers, import- ery, known for challenging the ers, consumers—and he almost STANDING WINE. IN THE PRO- rules, is built on a foundation of always made an impression. CESS, HE HAS HELPED CHANGE family tradition. For Angelo But Gaja’s success isn’t just in THE IMAGE OF ITALIAN WINE. Gaja, life has always been per la salesmanship. He is constantly famiglia. thinking about new ideas to try in the vineyard and in the cellar, challenging tradition to improve quality, from cutting yields to exercising stricter temperature con- A WOMAN LIKE THAT— trol of fermentations to handling Nebbiolo’s legendary tannins A HURRICANE more gently to aging his wines in French oak barriques. He also The town of Barbaresco is easy to spot on the drive from Alba. planted international varietals in Barbaresco. Not every idea proved Perched atop a cliff that rises straight up from the Tanaro river, a home run, but he was always willing to try. the village is topped by a 120-foot-high medieval tower, part of a “Why is he who he is? Because he is a gifted, talented winemaker, network of sentry posts that warned of invaders. Scholars believe he is a smart businessman and also a very gracious host,” says Aldo Barbaresco’s name comes from the word barbareschi, or barbarians, Vacca, director of the Produttori del Barbaresco, who worked for referring to the invading hordes that once occupied this high Gaja for five years. “Very few winemakers excel in all three fields ground. Surrounded completely by a rolling landscape of vines, of the industry.” the town and nearby hills are home to about 600 people. For half a century, Gaja has maintained an admirable level of The Gaja winery, however, is largely hidden away. Halfway up quality. (For more on this, see “The Gaja Wines: Balancing Tradi- the main lane, there’s a small building on the right with a green tion and Innovation,” page 61.) The Gaja Barbaresco 2007, the metal gate. A sign on the entrance states in English, “The winery most recent release, earned 93 points in a Wine Spectator blind tast- regrets that it cannot welcome visitors without an appointment.” ing this spring. His three single-vineyard bottlings from Barbaresco On a foggy morning, a small group of tourists gathers across the all earned classic scores: Sorì Tildìn 2007 achieved 95 points, each street in a clump, taking pictures of the gate as their guide speaks of Costa Russi 2007 and Sorì San Lorenzo 2007, 97 points. Their of Barbaresco’s famous resident. prices also show how Gaja has changed the image of Italian wine— On the other side of the green door lies a small courtyard, sur- each sells for more than $400 a bottle. rounded by buildings of various ages. Gaja walks out from offices Unwilling to increase volume at his Barbaresco winery, yet on the left. He’s dressed in a black shirt and gray sweater, match- unable to stand pat, Gaja has expanded outside Piedmont in the ing the palette of most of his labels. He’s of average height and past 17 years. In 1994, he bought a historic estate in Montalcino, build, except for his head, which is large, with a slightly jutting Pieve Santa Restituta. There he takes a more traditional approach, chin that seems to add to the sense of perpetual forward motion making a small amount of wine only from Sangiovese. In 1996, he conveys. His hair, now gray, is combed back to show off a wid- he bought a property in Bolgheri, on the Tuscan coast, renaming ow’s peak. Combined with his pale blue eyes, his features make his it Ca’ Marcanda. There he started with a blank slate and without whole face radiate with focused intensity. At first glance, he can the constraints of tradition, building a cutting-edge winery and be intimidating, but as soon as he speaks, it becomes clear that this 42 Wine Spectator • oct. 31, 2011 Gaja at the family home in Barberesco with, from left, daughter Rossana, wife Lucia and daughter Gaia. Both of his daughters have chosen to follow in their father’s big footsteps. intensity is nothing but boyish enthusiasm. He refers to guests, small farm. According to family legend, some of the sons were male or female, as “my dearrrr.” drunks and some were gamblers, and all but one promptly lost their “Angelo Gaja is the type of person that when you talk to him, you land. Giovanni’s fourth son, named Angelo, kept his, possibly be- understand you have his full attention and at the same time you cause he was shrewd and possibly because he was terrified of his know he has no time to waste on you,” says Vacca. “The man is care- wife, Clotilde Rey Gaja. fully listening, but at the same time you feel you need to be quick Clotilde Rey Gaja was a force of nature. Originally from a small because he is a busy man. It can be intimidating, of course.” town 3 miles from the French border, she had studied to be a school- Beginning a rapid tour of his winery, Gaja explains that his teacher.