Winemaker Notes
Aroma: Complex aromas of toast, minerals, sour cherries, cedar and spice
Taste: Displays the roundest tasting profile of all Gaja single-vineyard wines. The rich body, subtle texture and fine, ripe tannins are typical for this wine of great finesse, the quintessential expression of the land and the Nebbiolo grape.
This wine has extraordinary aging potential - more than forty years in outstanding vintages.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
The purity of fruit in this young Nebbiolo is impressive, with a cedar, fresh mushroom and forest undertone. Full-bodied, with masses of fruit as well as toasty oak and milk chocolate. This is a wine that gives you lots at the finish. Best after 2014. 800 cases made.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2005 Sori Tildin appears to be incredibly primary and youthful. Floral aromatics meld seamlessly into freshly cut roses, raspberries, licorice, tar and menthol. This graceful, feminine wine reveals tons of elegance and finesse in an understated style. Today the Sori Tildin shows a touch more oak than the other single-vineyard wines, which suggests it may not quite have the stuffing of the very finest vintages. Still, this remains a vibrant and very Piedmontese wine in need of only one thing, and that is a long slumber in the cellar. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2035.
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Wine Enthusiast
Dense and concentrated in appearance, Sorì Tildìn (with 5% Barbera) is the plushest and roundest of Gaja’s single-vineyard wines. Thanks to the quality of the fruit, the excellent vintage and 12 months of barrique, the final result is an austere and important wine with deep tones of black cherry, licorice, anise, tobacco and cedar. It closes after many long minutes with decisive tannins and cooling freshness. Drink after 2020.
Perched atop a steep hill in the Langhe sits the small village of Barbaresco, home of the GAJA winery. The story of the GAJA Winery can be traced to a singular, founding purpose: to produce original wines with a sense of place which reflect the tradition and culture of those who made it. This philosophy has inspired five generations of impeccable winemaking. It started over 150 years ago when Giovanni Gaja opened a small restaurant in Barbaresco, making wine to complement the food he served. In 1859, he founded the Gaja Winery, producing some of the first wine from Piedmont to be bottled and sold outside the region. Since that time, the winery has been shaped by each generation’s hand, notably that of Clotilde Rey, Angelo Gaja’s grandmother. Her passion for uncompromising quality influenced and informed Angelo Gaja. Through Angelo, these values have become the cornerstone of the GAJA philosophy and are engrained in every aspect of wine production
In 1961, Angelo Gaja began his mission of bringing this great winery to an even higher level. He was the first to use barriques, 225-liter French oak barrels. Under his direction, GAJA pioneered the production of single-vineyard designated wines and was the first to plant Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc varietals in Piedmont. He was also instrumental in elevating the native Nebbiolo grape to world-class esteem.
Angelo Gaja is joined by the fifth generation of the GAJA family – his daughters Gaia and Rossana and his son Giovanni. Together they continue to advance the winery’s legacy. To fully realize their vision, all GAJA wines are produced exclusively from grapes grown in estate-owned vineyards, including 250 acres in Piedmont’s Barbaresco and Barolo districts as well as estates in Pieve Santa Restituta (Montalcino) and Ca’Marcanda (Bolgheri). It is from these storied vineyards, and their terroir – the combination of soil, weather and vines that grow upon them, that GAJA wines reveal their true heart and soul.
Attracting the most glory, prestige and fame to the Piedmont region, Nebbiolo in all of its expressions—Barolo, Barbaresco, Roero, Ghemme and Gattinara—creates a complex wine, truly unique for its delicate qualities combined with strength and a great potential to improve over time.
But Nebbiolo isn’t all there is to red wine from Piedmont! Barbera is the most planted variety and historically most popular as a dependable, food-friendly, everyday wine.
Beyond these two, a surprising number of red varieties call Piedmont their home. Worth a try include Dolcetto for its bold concentration and aromas of spice cake. Other grapes to investigate include Freisa, Croatina, Brachetto, Grignolino and Pelaverga.