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 Magari 2020
14.5% abv
“The 2020 Magari is bright, effusive and super-expressive. Crushed rose petals, cinnamon, cedar and red plum fruit lend brightness to this mid-weight, nervy Magari. There is a bit of edginess in the tannin that needs to resolve. Otherwise, this is very nicely done.” 2023 – 2032
93 Points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous, August 2023
60% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Cabernet Franc 10% Petit Verdot. The vineyard blocks that make up this blend are further away from the nearby sea, closer to the fertile hillside. The loamy, clay-rich soils here are known as terre brune (dark brown earth), is key in creating round wines with mineral characters. Each of the three varieties were fermented separately for around 15 days. After 12 months of ageing in oak, they are blended and then aged for several months in the bottle before release.
Purchased in 1996 (and following long, seemingly endless discussions to finalise the deal, hence the name Ca’Marcanda – Piemontese dialect for ‘house of endless discussions’) the Ca’Marcanda estate lies in the renowned Bolgheri zone of southern Tuscany. The maritime influence and perticlaur soil compositions aid in the long slow ripening & maturation leading to complex and layered wines.
Explore More:
2020 | Bolgheri | Cabernet Franc | Cabernet Sauvignon | Duty Paid | Europe | Gaja | Italy | Petit Verdot | Red | Still | Tuscany | Wine- Reference #:
- 22726
- Strength
- 14.5 ABV
- Bottles per Case
- 6 bottles
- Grapes
- Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot
- Organic
- No
- Biodynamic
- No
- Vegan
- Yes
- Vegetarian
- Yes
- Sparkling
- No
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£67.00Vol (70cl)Incl. Tax & Duty -
Renais Gin
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£45.00Vol (70cl)Incl. Tax & Duty
