Ca' Marcanda | Angelo Gaja

The 2018 edition of the celebrity shows all the characteristics of the award-winning vintage. On the nose a lively potpourri of spices, dark fruits, cherries, blackberries and tar. Firm tannins on the palate, a wonderful full fruit and lots of persistence, intensity and depth. SUPERIORE.DE

Gajas white wine Vistamare lives up to its name: wide, shimmering and always new, as atmospheric as a lake view. The fine cuvée of Vermentino, Viognier, Chardonnay and Sauvignon is reminiscent of the rich scents of Bolgheri. Full, fruity, elegant and long on the palate. SUPERIORE.DE

Magari is made from 50 percent Merlot as well as Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in equal parts. It presents itself fresh and juicy, with strong vegetable accents and great depth. Simply delicious! SUPERIORE.DE

"This is a pure, focused Bolgheri with bright blueberries, freshly picked blackcurrants and citrus. All the more impressively in this hot vintage, the tannins are very tightly strung, fine and grainy, while the finish is medium-long and vivacious. Great drive and composure to this medium-to full-bodied red." James Suckling

"This wine is released before the Camarcanda blend. Angelo Gaja and his family have worked this vintage with a deft hand. This hot 2017 growing conditions have been harnessed for their positive attributes, such as the thickness and the dark concentration of the fruit and, consequently, the wine's freshness. Any negative implications have been absolutely eliminated and worked through. Nothing escapes Angelo's watchful eye." Robert Parker

Magari is a dark, rich and lush wine that faithfully reflects the signature of Gaja in Bolgheri. The wine drinks itself beautiful and smooth and caresses all senses with sensual silkiness. The 2018 vintage delivers plump and extra smooth fruit that further underlines the style of Ca' Marcanda. Dark berries and spices blend with seamless intensity. The wine offers a firm grip and long-lasting power in the finish. There is nothing here that one could not love. SUPERIORE.DE

"Aromas of currants, orange peel and dried herbs, such as sage, follow through to a medium to full body with pretty fruit and a juicy, savory finish that shows walnut and fresh terracotta." James Suckling

Camarcanda is a rich Bolgheri Rosso with a dark bouquet of black fruits, espresso, chocolate, liquorice and tar. On the palate it is extremely full-bodied, with excellent depth, dense structure and firm body. Opulent and long, this wine already today shows a wide range of its personality. SUPERIORE.DE

"No one understands why Angelo Gaja keeps this wine as a Bolgheri Rosso when it has all the qualities to be a Bolgheri Superiore (which is what it really is from a winemaking point of view). The 2012 Bolgheri Carmarcanda is a beautifully perfumed and delicate expression with an enormous sense of aromatic lift and purity. This blend of Merlot with Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc is absolutely seamless and harmonious on all fronts. Its most attractive aspect is the consistency. It shows enormous grace and harmony but it never loses its power or persistency." Robert Parker

"Rich and bursting with cedar, licorice, black currant and sandalwood aromas and flavors, this red is dense and chewy. Balanced and long, this begs for grilled steak or a roast." Wine Spectator

Camarcanda is a rich Bolgheri Rosso with a dark bouquet of black fruits, espresso, chocolate, liquorice and tar. On the palate it is extremely full-bodied, with excellent depth, dense structure and firm body. Opulent and long, this wine already today shows a wide range of its personality. SUPERIORE.DE

"The 2013 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda shows the pedigree of the vintage and the importance this top shelf wine deserves. This is an exceptional blend of Merlot with Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc that is challenging to taste next to the 2014 Magari, which is so radically different. Camarcanda reveals Gaja's signature touch with full and generous fruit layers that are backed by spice, leather, tobacco and lovely succulence. The wine is integrated and smooth with long-lasting favors and beautiful tannin management. Despite its heft, the wine is elegant and silky through and through." Robert Parker

"Very Bordeaux-like, this red offers plum, cherry, coffee, green olive and spice aromas and flavors. Taut and dense, with a long, fresh finish that exudes cedar, sandalwood and green olive notes." Wine Spectator

Camarcanda is a rich Bolgheri Rosso with a dark bouquet of black fruits, espresso, chocolate, liquorice and tar. On the palate it is extremely full-bodied, with excellent depth, dense structure and firm body. Opulent and long, this wine already today shows a wide range of its personality. SUPERIORE.DE

"A very fresh nose with notes of lavender, herbs, licorice and nutmeg. Medium to full body, a really driven line of acidity and a long, very taut finish. Wood shows at the end. Needs two or three years to soften." James Suckling

"The 2015 Ca' Marcanda is one of the most polished, sensual wines I have tasted from the Gaja family's Ca' Marcanda estate. Beautifully layered and silky on the palate, with striking aromatic nuance, the 2015 is super-impressive. Cedar, tobacco, crushed flowers and herbs are some of the many notes that open up in this undeniably appealing mid-weight wine." Antonio Galloni

"A tightly wound version, with black cherry, blueberry, tobacco and iron flavors etched into a sleek, tensile texture. Balanced on the tannic side and in need of a grilled steak or lamb." Wine Spectator

"The vineyard that produces the fruit used in the 2015 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda has more limestone than elsewhere in the area and has very white soils as a result. (The soils are treated with compost to darken them and to keep them balanced.) This wine is tight and compact, showing good backbone, complexity and intensity as a result of the terre bianche, or those white soils. The 2015 vintage is particularly fruity, sweet and succulent, with a delineated minerality in the mouth. The wine spends 18 months in oak." Robert Parker

Camarcanda is a rich Bolgheri Rosso Superiore with dark bouquet of black fruits, espresso, chocolate, liquorice and tar. On the palate it is extremely full-bodied, with excellent depth, dense structure and firm body. Opulent and long, this wine already shows a wide range of its personality. SUPERIORE.DE

" Opened with delicate cassis and herbal aromas; powerful yet elegant texture with stocky tannins, invigorating acidity, lots of grinding, juice and length, pleases with its fine peppery fruit finale. Gajas Bolgheri interpretation combines cut and fullness". Vinum

"Bright, intense ruby red with a violet tint. Finely drawn nose with notes of red and black currant, fresh, then dark cherry and spices. Round and smooth on the palate, shows a lot of present fruit, opens with fine-meshed tannin, juicy and long, very precise." Falstaff

"Austere in aroma, this red reveals intense flavors of cherry, raspberry, rose and mineral. Firmly structured, yet stays on course with a laser of fruit. Vanilla and toast notes chime in on the finish. Fine balance, length and complexity." Wine Spectator

"The 2016 Camarcanda is pretty, open-knit and gracious in its bouquet, although there is a good bit of Cabernet tannin underpinning the dark fruit. Hints of chocolate, mint, sage, tobacco, licorice and blackberry develop in the glass. The 2016 needs a few years to soften, but it is undeniably attractive and inviting. It's hard to say if it is the vintage, or if the style here has moved towards a bit more freshness as it has at Gaja in Piedmont, but the 2016 Camarcanda does seem to have an extra kick of vibrancy over some previous editions. I can't wait to taste it with some bottle age." Vinous

"Fragrant florals punctuate the nose, ranging from lavender to hyacinth, and there are hints of heather and thyme, too. Citrusy undertones abound. There’s a profundity to the center palate, which is decked out in sheets of dark fruit-flavored, muscular tannins that retain a telltale elegance, as they envelop the peripheries of the mouth. Long and mineral, this is a delightful wine now and will continue to open up as the years go by." James Suckling

"The 2016 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda is infinitely smooth and finely textured down to the very last pixel in what is a high-resolution panoramic photograph. The core of the wine is packed tight with an explosion of flavor and concentration with so much dark fruit, spice, tobacco and sweet tobacco that unfurls from deep inside. This wine will have a long and, I am quite sure, very happy aging future ahead. It shows utmost precision and balance, with long persistence and a beautifully polished texture." Robert Parker

Camarcanda is a rich Bolgheri Rosso with a dark bouquet of black fruits, espresso, chocolate, liquorice and tar. On the palate it is extremely full-bodied, with excellent depth, dense structure and firm body. Opulent and long, this wine already today shows a wide range of its personality. SUPERIORE.DE

"The 2013 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda shows the pedigree of the vintage and the importance this top shelf wine deserves. This is an exceptional blend of Merlot with Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc that is challenging to taste next to the 2014 Magari, which is so radically different. Camarcanda reveals Gaja's signature touch with full and generous fruit layers that are backed by spice, leather, tobacco and lovely succulence. The wine is integrated and smooth with long-lasting favors and beautiful tannin management. Despite its heft, the wine is elegant and silky through and through." Robert Parker

"Very Bordeaux-like, this red offers plum, cherry, coffee, green olive and spice aromas and flavors. Taut and dense, with a long, fresh finish that exudes cedar, sandalwood and green olive notes." Wine Spectator

Magari is vinified from 50 percent Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in equal parts. It presents itself fresh and juicy, with strong vegetal accents and great depth. Simply delicious! SUPERIORE.DE

"Gaja started to make wine in Bolgheri in 2000. Magari changed in blend in 2014, replacing the difficult Merlot in this warm climate with Petit Verdot which ripens better here than in Bordeaux. The 2016 is youthful in colour, full of leafy Cabernet Franc notes. It has firm, extracted tannins and is not without great tension on the palate. It needs time to develop in finesse and complexity, having now the exuberance of youth." Decanter

"The 2016 Magari is a dark, powerful wine. In most vintages, Magari is a wine of Tuscan charm, but powerful tannins give the 2016 a somewhat compact feel. There is plenty of depth to the black fruit, mocha, new leather and spice flavors, but the 2016 is clearly very young. There is not much Bolgheri charm in the early going. The 2016 is going to need at least a few years in bottle to come together." VINOUS

"A very fresh nose with tons of dark fruit, such as brambleberries, blueberries and dark cherries, as well as vanilla, dried herbs and eucalyptus. Medium to full body, fresh acidity and a tight finish." James Suckling

"Black currant and black cherry fruit mingles with mint, olive, graphite and tobacco notes in this red. Elegant, with ample density and bright acidity, ending in a firm, fruit-, mineral- and herb-tinged aftertaste. Well-proportioned and classy." Wine Spectator

"The 2016 Bolgheri Rosso Magari produces an expressive and opulent red wine, with great acidity and definition. The wine is firm and tightly wound, with secondary complexity that expresses itself in terms of tar, leather and spice. The tannins are supple and soft." Robert Parker

Camarcanda is a rich Bolgheri Rosso with dark bouquet of black fruits, espresso, chocolate, liquorice and tar. On the palate it is extremely full-bodied, with excellent depth, dense structure and firm body. Opulent and long, this wine already shows a wide range of its personality. SUPERIORE.DE

" Opened with delicate cassis and herbal aromas; powerful yet elegant texture with stocky tannins, invigorating acidity, lots of grinding, juice and length, pleases with its fine peppery fruit finale. Gajas Bolgheri interpretation combines cut and fullness". Vinum

"Bright, intense ruby red with a violet tint. Finely drawn nose with notes of red and black currant, fresh, then dark cherry and spices. Round and smooth on the palate, shows a lot of present fruit, opens with fine-meshed tannin, juicy and long, very precise." Falstaff

"Austere in aroma, this red reveals intense flavors of cherry, raspberry, rose and mineral. Firmly structured, yet stays on course with a laser of fruit. Vanilla and toast notes chime in on the finish. Fine balance, length and complexity." Wine Spectator

"The 2016 Camarcanda is pretty, open-knit and gracious in its bouquet, although there is a good bit of Cabernet tannin underpinning the dark fruit. Hints of chocolate, mint, sage, tobacco, licorice and blackberry develop in the glass. The 2016 needs a few years to soften, but it is undeniably attractive and inviting. It's hard to say if it is the vintage, or if the style here has moved towards a bit more freshness as it has at Gaja in Piedmont, but the 2016 Camarcanda does seem to have an extra kick of vibrancy over some previous editions. I can't wait to taste it with some bottle age." Vinous

"Fragrant florals punctuate the nose, ranging from lavender to hyacinth, and there are hints of heather and thyme, too. Citrusy undertones abound. There’s a profundity to the center palate, which is decked out in sheets of dark fruit-flavored, muscular tannins that retain a telltale elegance, as they envelop the peripheries of the mouth. Long and mineral, this is a delightful wine now and will continue to open up as the years go by." James Suckling

"The 2016 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda is infinitely smooth and finely textured down to the very last pixel in what is a high-resolution panoramic photograph. The core of the wine is packed tight with an explosion of flavor and concentration with so much dark fruit, spice, tobacco and sweet tobacco that unfurls from deep inside. This wine will have a long and, I am quite sure, very happy aging future ahead. It shows utmost precision and balance, with long persistence and a beautifully polished texture." Robert Parker