Angelo Gaja, 2020 Ca'Marcanda "Promis" Toscano Rosso

People

Angelo Gaja is one of the most famous winemakers around, and we’re lucky to have snagged some of his bottlings. Almost singlehandedly, Gaja is credited with revolutionizing Piedmontese wine. As a winery, Gaja was established in 1859 by a Spanish immigrant family, and Angelo began working in the winery at the age of 21. He began bottling single vineyard wines in the 1960s, and started using malolactic conversion and small French oak barrels (as opposed to the traditional large neutral barrels long favored by Nebbiolo producers), which ushered in a new era for Piedmontese winemaking. While Gaja is famous for his Barolos and Barbarescos (while being unafraid to declassify them to  the more general appellation of Langhe Nebbiolo), he expanded to Bolgheri Super Tuscans given his love of French grapes, and to Montalcino in Tuscany.

Place

Bolgheri sits on the Tuscan coast, and became home to Super Tuscan wines, which originally came about in the 1960s as winemakers sought to diverge from the uber-traditionalist mentality of Tuscany. As it turns out, the climate and soils of Bolgheri are perfectly suited for Bordelaise varieties. Gaja’s line of “Ca’Marcanda” wines get their name from the “endless negotiations” it took for him to acquire the estate from which he draws his fruit, which comprises caly-rich silt and limestone.

Palate

Promis is made from 55% Merlot, 35% Syrah, and 10% Sangiovese. Wild dark and red fruits define the nose and palate, with some pepper, licorice, and herbaceous elements, thanks to the Syrah. A medium-bodied wine, so far as Super Tuscans go, with rounder tannins held in tension with the acidity.

Technical Notes

Hand harvested from biodynamically-treated vineyards. Varietals are fermented separately for 15 days before aging in French oak for 12 months and finally blended. 14.5% abv.