Gaja Barbaresco 2014

98 points/'Cellar Selection,' Kerin O'Keefe (Wine Enthusiast): "This isn't just a great wine for what was a notoriously cool, wet vintage, it's quite simply a magnificent wine. Perfumed and loaded with finesse, it opens with scents of woodland berry, iris and baking spice while the vibrant, balanced palate doles out Marasca cherry, dark culinary spice, crushed herb and menthol. Refined tannins and fresh acidity provide the taut framework while a licorice note wraps around the finish. Gorgeous. Drink 2022-2034. Alcohol 14%. (Mar 2018)"

96 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "Gaja's 2014 Barbaresco is rich, super-dense, and inviting, with serious underpinnings of structure and the same classicism that made the 2013 so compelling. Dense and powerful in the glass, with explosive energy and tons of tannin, the 2014 is built for extended cellaring. Expressive floral and savory notes hover out of the glass in this super-expressive Barbaresco. This is one of the most tightly wound, intense versions of Gaja's Barbaresco I can remember tasting. Don't miss it. Drink: 2024-2044. (Oct 2017)"

95 points Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2014 Barbaresco is beautiful and made in a fine, elegant style. Its medium ruby color is followed by classic (yet incredibly pure) notes of ripe black cherries and currants, with ample floral nuances, and it hits the palate with medium-bodied depth and richness that carries serious amounts of ripe, polished tannins. With nicely integrated acidity, beautiful purity of fruit, and a big finish, it blossoms with time in the glass yet still needs 4-5 years of bottle age and will keep for 25-30 years. Drink: 2022-2052. (3/15/18)"

94 points Monica Larner (Wine Advocate): "Gaia Gaja tells me 2014 was one of the best vintages ever in Barbaresco, if not the best for her vineyards. She cites the prolonged growing season that continued at a slow rate during the cooler summer months only to speed up thanks to a heat spell at the very end, right before harvest. Nebbiolo loves slow maturity and a prolonged growth cycle: The 2014 vintage did indeed get off to an exceptionally slow start. The 2014 Barbaresco is not austere or astringent. Instead, it offers plump ripeness with rich fruit flavors backed by spice, licorice and tobacco. The wine offers good structure from the point of view of its tannins, yet there is no harshness or bitterness whatsoever. Drink: 2018-2030. (Jun 2017)"

93 points Wine Spectator: "A lush style, boasting black cherry, plum, licorice, tar and spice flavors. Firmly structured and needs air to open, ending on a long, complex and balanced finish. Best from 2022 through 2035. 1,500 cases made. (11/15/17)"

93 points James Suckling: "Delicious nose of dried flowers, rosemary, sage, rose petals, blackberry perfume and walnuts. Full body, structured, round tannins, pretty acidity and a mouth-watering finish. Very well done for the vintage: one of the best. Drink now or hold. (10/20/17)"