Gaja Costa Russi

In the glass

Aroma: strawberry, plum, raspberry, red currant, elderflower, marzipan

Palate: wild strawberry, licorice, polished stone

The most charming and aromatic of Gaja's Barbaresco crus, Costa Russi pairs an abundance of strawberry and red fruit with verbena and marzipan, silky tannin and an elegant finish.

What it pairs with

• Roast guinea fowl
  Delicate game meets the cru's perfumed red fruit without overwhelming it.
• Agnolotti del plin in butter
  The wine's elegant red-fruit lift carries the meat-stuffed pasta's richness.
• Toma piemontese
  Mild alpine cheese frames the wine's strawberry and elderflower.

How to serve Gaja Costa Russi

Allow 95 minutes from open to pour.

1. Open and decant. Open 90 minutes before serving and pour into a decanter to aerate.
2. Serve at 16-18°C. Cellar temperature (16-18°C) is the band for this style. Warmer pushes alcohol forward; colder dampens aromatics.
3. Glassware. Use a large Bordeaux-style glass: the bowl shape rewards the wine's structure.
4. Pair with. Roast guinea fowl, Agnolotti del plin in butter, Toma piemontese. Match the wine's structure to the dish's fat and salt.

History

Costa Russi debuted with the 1978 vintage from a four-hectare parcel just below Sori Tildin. The name joins costa, meaning slope, with Russi, the nickname of the vineyard's former sharecropper.

1. 1978: First single-vineyard Costa Russi vintage
2. 2013: Returned to Barbaresco DOCG label

Facts

Producer

Gaja · visiting guide

Grapes

Nebbiolo (100%)

Classification

Barbaresco DOCG

ABV

14.5%

Price

EUR 550 to 1100 at retail

Drinking window

8 to 35 from vintage

First vintage

1978

Frequently asked about Gaja Costa Russi

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