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Viinin Kuvailu
The Story
Angelo Gaja forever changed the world's notion of Piedmont wines when he released this historic wine for the first time in 1985 (with the 1982 vintage), made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes planted in the township of Barbaresco. According to the often told legend, Angelo Gaja's father exclaimed "darmagi!" upon learning that his son had planted Cabernet Sauvignon in vineyards previously devoted to Piedmont's traditional Nebbiolo grape. Akin to the French quel dommage, the Piedmontese expression darmagi meanswhat a pity! or what a shame!. With his characteristic respect for tradition and those who came before him, the younger Gaja decided to call this wine Darmagi, a homage to his family's legacy with an eye toward the future.
Today, fruit for this wine is sourced from 5 acres in Barbaresco, where growing conditions render structured expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon with impressive aging potential. This wine showed the international community that the terroir Piedmont could produce world-class wines using grapes other than those traditionally grown there. Today, this Cabernet Sauvignon is a favorite among the great collectors of the world.
Vuosikerta 1997
Italian Vintage Report by Tb: In 1997, the entire Italian wine industry was rejuvenated by one of the greatest vintages of all time. The only negative aspect of the year was subzero night temperatures in April and May, which damaged exceptionally early buds and flowers. As a result, crop yield was lower than desired. Otherwise, the summer season was blessed with sunny and warm weather. Temperatures soared in August and September and the grapes ripened two weeks earlier than normal. This took Piedmont by surprise, as Nebbiolo ripened before Barbera, which was unprecedented. The small grapes were so well balanced that there were only four other Italian vintages like 1997 in the 20th century. Otherwise, the acidity of the grapes has fallen below normal levels due to their ripeness. In Tuscany the situation was the same as in Piedmont – there had not been a harvest of such quality since 1947. The wines can still take years of aging and up to decades for Barolos and Barbarescos .