This is the Gaja Chardonnay, probably far too young, but beautiful wine. The first thing the bouquet offers is oak, quite identifiably, if a little unusual – I find it hard to pin down, and settle on “acorns” for a descriptor. In fact, I later learn, it is matured in a wide variety of different barrels; French, Russian, Austrian, Polish, and Hungarian. (Italy does go further afield for its oak barrels, with interesting results.) After the oak comes the fruit, tropical but muted – a blend, initially of pineapple and lemon. N1 approves, comparing it to many a New World Chardonnay: “This is not hideously disgustingly fruity.” And there is a third element we take a little while to identify, but which goes on to become more prominent: goat’s cheese.
The cheese and fruit notes build up with time. It is definitely doing banana at one point, before moving on to lemon, lime and green olive and fennel; and after two hours, we are arguing over whether it smells of pecorino or parmesan.
By the end of the bottle it is tending towards a slightly more classic Chardonnay character. In any case, I suspect we are just scratching the surface of this wine, and that it will be a different, more powerful beast 10 years down the line.
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