Super Tuscans the GAJA Way — Velvety, Rich, Expressive

WHY BUY: For anyone who reveres Italian wine, these are essential additions to the cellar; for GAJA's feverish cult following, they are can't-live-withouts. In this quartet of wines from their brilliant Bolgheri outpost, Ca'Marcanda, you’ll find all the profundity, intensity, and terroir focus that helped to spark a global passion for Bolgheri's sun-drenched slopes. This legendary estate marked Angelo Gaja's audacious southward expansion into Tuscany, where he applied the same revolutionary techniques that he had used to transform Piedmont: radically low yields, meticulous terroir focus, and French oak aging. These wines offer an unbeatable one-two punch of extraordinary complexity and eminent ageability.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: James Suckling awarded 95 points to the Magari 2023, an aromatic, expressive wine of "redcurrant, cherry and olive-leaf aromas" that "follow through to a medium body with very fine, caressing tannins and a long, juicy finish” — an "extremely well crafted and delicious” red. Jeb Dunnuck was equally enamored of the 95-point Vistamare 2024, singling out "the nose [that] opens to fresh and tropical notes of fresh herbs, orange blossoms, and white peach,” and the "zesty and fresh” palate, with "medium to full-bodied richness and an elegant, rounded feel.” Richness and roundedness: this is what stood out to The Wine Advocate about the Camarcanda 2022, a 94-pointer with a "dark fruit and stewed blackberry" character and a palate of "velvety softness." 

THE STORY: You know the story by now; Angelo Gaja's remarkable legacy scarcely needs recounting. The boldly innovative techniques he pioneered in Piedmont (from his early embracing of barriques to radical low yields) shattered tradition, and drew heaps of scorn from purists. Yet his all-out pursuit of terroir purity revolutionized not just the Langhe but virtually every great appellation across the bel paese. This fifth-generation winemaker broke from tradition often flamboyantly, earning controversy even within his own family. But time has proven him to be less a provocateur than a prophet: today, Gaia is widely acknowledged as one of Italy's greatest winemakers. When he set his sights southward, in 1996, purchasing the Ca'Marcanda vineyard in Bolgheri, the wine industry stood rapt. Seismic shifts were underway for Tuscany. Angelo Gaja proceeded to do with Ca'Marcanda what he had done with his Piedmont vineyards: elevate it to world-class by focusing on terroir, limiting yields, and aging the wines in French oak barriques. By applying his determinedly non-conformist philosophies, he soon transformed this property's pedigree in similar fashion, coaxing exceptional single-vineyard Bordeaux varieties to their full potential.

OUR TASTING NOTES: The Magari 2023 delivers everything we love about Ca’Marcanda: power joined to finesse, weight to elegance, drinkability to ageability. Its fine tannins create depth and elegance; its juicy finish keeps you reaching for another pour. The Camarcanda 2022, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with Cabernet Franc, represents the estate's flagship expression with phenomenal concentration and a richness that never extends into too-muchness, and always maintains balance and control. The Promis 2023 demonstrates GAJA's ability to create exceptional value within their portfolio, but without sacrificing an iota of their signature intensity and terroir specificity. The Vistamare 2024 might be the lone white, but it’s anything but an outlier in quality or style: we loved its fresh, herbal character and citrus brightness, and its complexity and richness mark it, unmistakably, as a GAJA expression.

WHAT TO PAIR THEM WITH: You’re going to want something substantial and rich with the Camarcanda — think: rack of lamb, a thick, juicy tomahawk steak, or a standing rib roast. The Magari is the bottle to reach for when you’re cooking Mediterranean or grilling. The Promis, likewise, is a great partner with Mediterranean fare, particularly pasta with zesty sauces. The Vistamare, a white wine, is a great complement with seafood (cooked and raw, both), and roast chicken.

FUN FACT: Ca'Marcanda comes from a Piedmontese dialect and roughly translates as "the house of endless negotiations,” a cheeky allusion to the contentious back and forth that took place in 1996, when the estate's original owners, exasperated with the process, had broken off discussion and swore never to sell to Angelo Gaja.

OUR GUARANTEE:  As with all our offerings, these wines come directly from the estate. Your bottles will arrive in pristine condition with perfect provenance, ready for your cellar … or your glass.