1989 Gaja Barbaresco 375ml

(91 Points) Gaja's 1989 Barbaresco offers sweet, rich, tobacco, black-cherry, spicy fruit touched gently by new oak. It is made in a full-bodied, powerful style, with admirable depth. Approachable now, this wine should only improve over the next 10-12 years; it will last for two decades. Admirers of great wine will no doubt be debating the merits of Gaja's 1989s and 1990s for the next two or three decades. Both are spectacular vintages. When I tasted them side by side in March, the 1990s possessed a slight edge in terms of concentration and power. That does not mean they will ultimately turn out better, but they are fabulously impressive wines of unprecedented complexity, stature, and richness. For all his success, the admirable Angelo Gaja remains fanatically committed to excellence, and because of that he is Piedmont's reference point, as well as an inspiration to many of the young growers just beginning to estate bottle their wines. Wine Advocate #92 (Apr 1994)