NO, you are NOT hallucinating.

YES, this IS a 94 POINT GAJA Brunello. NO, it’s not $100. Or $80. We have it for a deflationary discount of $59.

Yes, that GAJA, the one and only. And that Pieve Santa Restituta, the flashiest winery to go up in Brunello in a long time with the GAJA family investing outside of their Piedmont home.

“Driven by an unrelenting quest for perfection, Gaja took his family’s estate to the top…getting to the top in any field is hard. Staying at the top is even harder. For all of the praise Angelo Gaja and his family have received over the years, they have earned and deserve every bit of it.” – Antonio Galloni

“Angelo Gaja’s works of art are worth every cent they will fetch.” – Robert Parker

GAJA stands the test of time, as a rebel. A visionary. A beacon. A reformer. And more…

Maybe Wine Spectator puts it best: “Angelo Gaja is a tireless innovator. When he joined his father in the family winery in 1961, they had 52 acres of vines, all in Barbaresco. Today, the family firm controls 567 acres in Barbaresco and Barolo in Piedmont and the Brunello di Montalcino and Bolgheri regions of Tuscany… Quality is a keynote. The Gaja wines consistently score outstanding, and often classic… No matter the region, Angelo Gaja has been willing to try new techniques, in both vineyard and winery. The resulting wines have sometimes shocked traditionalists, yet over time, they have proven to remain true to their local identities. Over his half-century of work, Gaja has been able to honor tradition while at the same time make wines that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the top wines from France and the world in general.”

To feature the wines of GAJA, at unbeatable prices, here on Wine Spies is an honor and a privilege.

In a given vintage, they bottle two single vineyards Sugarille and Rennina, but in 2014, the insane levels of high standards applicable to any wine with the GAJA name on it led to them being blended into one Brunello that best exemplifies the vintage, which is the one you’re looking at! In 2015 for instance, they went back to bottling the Sugarille and Rennina, and those average over $200 per bottle, making this an unbeatable bargain.

This has all that typical beautiful Brunello character we love - a headspinning melange of orange pekoe tea, rose petals, raspberry and dried cherries, anise, balsamic, vanilla, and spiced wood. Tons of raw power and finesse, with the stuffing to last another decade or two, no problem.

Simply wild to have a Gaja Brunello at this price. Of course, by now inventory is running low and moving fast like a Dachschund race, so um…what are you still doing here?!

94 Points – Wine Safari, Greg Sherwood MW

“In 2012, Gaja blended all three of their top vineyards together to create a single punchy super Brunello cuvee. In 2014 they did the same again due to difficult weather conditions but with one massive difference being that this time, 80% to 90% of the final cuvee’s fruit came from just the two Cru vineyards of Rennina and Sugarille. Bright translucent colour, the 2014 Brunello mimics the delicious 2012 release. The result is a wonderfully fragrant, expressive aromatic nose showing tar, red cherry, Seville oranges, earthy aniseed root, violets, cherry blossom, tannery leather and sweet cedar oak vanilla spice complexity. Deliciously plump and full fruited, this wine is plush and opulent, fleshy, dense, and super vibrant with an extra level of stony minerality. What a fabulous success for the vintage. Drink now to 2030+”