Angelo Gaja took over the family business in 1970. ‘The challenge was to maintain the basic power and depth of Nebbiolo while polishing the wines to give them richer colour, fuller fruit, better balance and a more refined style’. At the forefront of promoting the wines of Piemonte and Barbarresco in particular Gaja replanted many of the vineyards, installed temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks, introduced the concept of ageing wines in small oak barrels and began releasing single vineyard Barbarescos. Most controversial of all (least of all with his own father), Gaja planted some Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay on prime Barbaresco land. Today Gaja has 101 hectares of vineyards divided into 32 separate plots and produces around 30,000 cases of wine a year. The influence of the next generation, spearheaded by Angelo's daughter Gaia, has continued with the family's search for continuous improvement. The addition of Barbera into the crus has ceased and their estate in Bolgheri has seen the blends reworked to better reflect the lessons learned about soils and grapes since they first planted the vines here over 20 years ago. Gaja produces world-class wines and the Pieve Santa Restituta property in Montalcino also sees them produce a small range of exquisitely crafted Brunello wines. The Camarcanda estate in Bolgheri and lateste venture Idda on Moutn Etna (in partnership with Graci, no less) rounds out this incredible stable.

Gaja Ca’marcanda Camarcanda 2017
14.5% abv
Ca’Marcanda’s flagship. Made only in exceptional years in small quantities from the coveted tiere bianche soils.
Bright red in color. Expressive aromas of raspberry and cinnamon lead off, with floral notes of bay tree and Elicriso (Helichrysum italicum) in supporting roles. On the palate black cherry, plum and blackberry, wild herbs and savory underbrush. The tannins are fine and very well integrated with the freshness and suppleness of this wine. 2018 Camarcanda is a sophisticated wine, with no excess and a lingering finish.
“I remember Gaia Gaja’s comment to me when I visited Ca’ Marcanda in 2017 right after the vintage. She told me that the heat and dry conditions had created “bonsai fruit.” Diminutive cluster size due to drought gives the 2017 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda extra everything: extra aromatic intensity, concentration, structure and acidity. The winemaking team was careful to remove seeds before fermentation to avoid any greenness or astringency. However, this is a hot-vintage wine, and those aromas of blackberry preserves and baked plum leave no doubt about it. The wine is richly concentrated. In fact, this is probably the last vintage of Camarcanda we will see with this level of density. Steps have been taken since 2017 to assure more finesse in this blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.” 2023 -2025
93 Points, Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate, Jan 2023
- Reference #:
- 20802
- Strength
- 14.5 ABV
- Bottles per Case
- 6 bottles
- Grapes
- Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon
- Organic
- No
- Biodynamic
- No
- Vegan
- No
- Vegetarian
- No
- Sparkling
- No
