Gaja Sorì San Lorenzo Barbaresco 2022
In stock
Purchase this item and get 8524 PointsKShs197,740 incl. of VAT
Tasting Notes
Deep, dense ruby in the glass with real weight and colour saturation. The nose is angular and chiselled, vertical and full of tension rather than immediately generous, opening with pressed flowers and rose before chalky mineral and a touch of black salt come through underneath. With more air, watermelon and restrained strawberry emerge alongside sweet violet and a note of cherrystone. On the palate, the tannins dominate the structure, high and firmly built, giving the wine a full body and real density even at this early stage. There’s an elegance running through that density though, not a heaviness. The acidity carries the finish gracefully, and the wine closes long, with strawberry and orange zest lingering at the very end. This is a wine that is, by design, not fully open yet. It needs years to unwind properly, and everything about its current structure suggests it will reward that patience generously.
Food Pairing
This is a wine that asks for serious food and serious patience. Braised short rib, slow-roasted lamb shoulder or a well-aged bistecca are the classic matches, the tannin structure needing real protein and fat to open up against. A wild mushroom risotto with shaved truffle plays to the wine’s earthy, mineral register just as well. Decant this generously, at least two hours if drinking it young, since both the tannins and the aromatics need real time and air to show what they’re capable of. For a Nairobi dinner where the occasion genuinely calls for a bottle with history behind it, this is the one to open when the evening deserves it.
Accolades
- James Suckling: 98 points
- Robert Parker’s : 97 points
- Wine Spectator: 95 points
What You Need to Know:
Why is Sorì San Lorenzo considered so historically important?
It was the first single-vineyard wine Gaja ever produced, released in 1967 at a time when bottling a single Barbaresco site separately simply wasn’t done. It effectively started the idea of treating specific Barbaresco vineyards the way Burgundy treats its grand crus.
Should I drink this now or wait?
Wait if you can. James Suckling recommends trying it from 2027, and the tannin structure in the 2022 suggests it needs real time to soften. It can technically be opened now with a long decant, but it’s built for patience.
How is this different from Gaja’s other single-vineyard Barbarescos?
San Lorenzo is consistently the most structured and tannic of the three, and it needs longer ageing than either Costa Russi or Sorì Tildìn before it fully opens up. It’s also the site widely considered to have been Giovanni Gaja’s personal favourite.
Do I need to decant this before serving?
Yes, generously. At least two hours if the bottle is young, longer if possible. Both the tannins and the more reserved aromatics need real air time to show what the wine is capable of.
What food works best with this bottle?
Braised short rib, slow-roasted lamb and a well-aged bistecca are the classic matches. A wild mushroom risotto with truffle also complements the wine’s earthy, mineral character well.
What should I do if this bottle is out of stock?
Our customer service team can help you find a suitable alternative or source the product where possible. Reach out before your event.
Can I get Gaja Sorì San Lorenzo delivered same day in Nairobi?
Nairobi orders placed before 9 PM qualify for same-day delivery, typically completed within a 1-hour window. Free delivery applies to orders above KES 3,000 within Nairobi. Orders outside Nairobi are delivered nationwide across Kenya within 24 to 48 hours.
Description
The vineyard that started it all. First released in 1967, this was Gaja’s original single-vineyard wine, the one that turned single-site Barbaresco into a serious category in its own right. Order online in Nairobi through The Wine Box for fast delivery.
Before 1967, single-vineyard Barbaresco simply wasn’t a thing anyone bottled separately. Angelo Gaja changed that when he released Sorì San Lorenzo as its own wine, the first time a single site in Barbaresco had been treated with the same seriousness Burgundy gives its grand crus. The name itself carries two layers of meaning. Sorì is the local dialect word for a south-facing hillside, the warmest and sunniest kind of plot a grower can ask for. San Lorenzo refers to the patron saint of Alba’s cathedral, since the land belonged to the church until 1964, when the Gaja family purchased it, just three years before the wine’s first vintage.
Among Gaja’s three single-vineyard Barbarescos, San Lorenzo is consistently the most structured and the slowest to soften, needing longer in the cellar than either Costa Russi or Sorì Tildìn before it’s fully ready to drink. The 2022 growing season was one of the hottest and driest in Piedmont in a decade, but cool nights across the hilly Langhe preserved the acidity that keeps a wine like this from tipping into heaviness. James Suckling scored the 2022 vintage at 98 points, describing tannins chiselled to perfection and telling readers to try it from 2027 onward. For a Nairobi buyer who wants to hold a piece of where modern Barbaresco actually began, this is that bottle.
Product Facts
- Vintage: 2022
- Country: Italy
- Region : Piedmont
- Appellation: Barbaresco DOCG
- Vineyard: Sorì San Lorenzo, southern slope of Barbaresco village, close to the historic town centre
- Grape Variety: Nebbiolo 100%
- Category: Red Wine
- Style: Full bodied, structured, age-worthy red
- Vineyard Details: South and southwest facing, overlooking the Tanaro River, which moderates temperature and humidity across the site
- Serving Temperature: 16–18°C
- Drink: From 2027, with real potential through 2050
About The Winery
Angelo Gaja joined his family’s winery in Barbaresco in 1961 and had taken over its full management by 1970, introducing temperature-controlled stainless steel fermentation, smaller French oak barriques, and the practice of bottling single vineyards separately rather than blending everything into one wine. That last idea, radical at the time, produced Sorì San Lorenzo as its very first result in 1967. The family’s holdings have since grown to include vineyards across Barbaresco and Barolo in Piedmont, along with estates in Montalcino and Bolgheri in Tuscany and a joint project on Mount Etna in Sicily. Angelo now works alongside his children Gaia, Rossana and Giovanni, the fifth generation carrying the family’s winemaking forward. The wines are available through The Wine Box Kenya in Nairobi.
We provide FREE DELIVERY for orders above Kshs. 3,000 within Nairobi. Orders outside of Nairobi will attract delivery charges, which will be calculated based on the cart size and your location. Orders outside of Nairobi are delivered through a logistics partner Fargo Courier.
We deliver anywhere* in Kenya and Orders outside of Nairobi will attract delivery charges, which will be calculated based on the cart size and your location. Orders outside of Nairobi are delivered through a logistics partner Fargo Courier.
*Please note that conditions apply to deliveries to Lamu and some coastal regions.
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