Gaja Sperss Barolo 2021
In stock
Purchase this item and get 5156 PointsKShs119,610 incl. of VAT
Sperss is a single vineyard wine built for the long term, carrying more concentration and a firmer structure that needs years to soften fully. It also holds a different kind of significance within the estate, since this was the vineyard that brought Gaja back into Barolo production after the family had gone without it for decades. For buyers in Kenya wanting to experience Gaja’s most serious expression of the region rather than its more accessible entry points, Sperss is the bottle at The Wine Box Kenya that carries that weight, both in the glass and in the story behind it.
Tasting Notes
Deep, dense ruby in the glass with real weight even before the first swirl. The nose opens with a distinctive ferrous note, something between rusty nail and soft turned earth, framing a core of dark fruit underneath. Sour black cherry and truffle sit at the centre, joined by rhubarb and a thread of licorice that builds with time in the glass. On the palate, the texture is austere in the best sense, full bodied and dense, with tannins that feel gravelly and precise rather than soft or yielding. The fruit stays pure and well delineated through the mid-palate, and the finish extends long, carrying that same mineral, earthy character all the way through. This is a wine built for patience. It shows real depth already, but the structure makes clear there’s much more still to unfold over the years ahead.
Food Pairing
This is a wine for the kind of meal that takes its time. Prime rib and rack of lamb are the classic matches, the tannin structure needing real protein and fat to soften against. Braised oxtail or a long-cooked game dish, venison in particular, plays to the same earthy, mineral register the wine carries on the nose. A hard aged cheese at the end, something like a well-matured Parmigiano, works cleanly alongside a final glass. Decant this for 90 minutes to two hours before serving if opening it young, since the tannins need air to soften and the aromatics need time to open fully. For a Nairobi dinner where the occasion calls for something with real depth and a story behind it, this is the bottle that rewards giving it that time.
Accolades
- The Wine Advocate: 98 Points
- Vinous: 97 Points
- Wine Spectator: 97 Points
- James Suckling: 97 Points
Food Pairing
What does the name Sperss actually mean?
It’s a Piedmontese dialect word meaning nostalgia, chosen in reference to Giovanni Gaja’s memories of working this exact vineyard as a young man, long before his family came to own it.
How is this different from Gaja’s Dagromis Barolo?
Sperss is a single vineyard wine from one specific site in Serralunga, built for long-term cellaring with more concentration and firmer tannins. Dagromis blends two communes and is made to be more approachable much earlier in its life.
Should I decant this before drinking it?
Yes, especially if opening it young. A decant of 90 minutes to two hours lets the tannins soften and gives the aromatics room to open up fully.
How long can I cellar this wine?
It has real ageing potential, comfortably reaching towards 2045 or beyond with proper storage. This is a wine built to reward patience rather than one meant for immediate drinking.
What food works best with this bottle?
Prime rib and rack of lamb are the classic pairings. Braised oxtail, venison and a well-aged Parmigiano also complement the wine’s earthy, mineral character.
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.
Can I get Gaja Sperss Barolo 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
Named for a Piedmontese word meaning nostalgia, from the vineyard that brought Gaja back to Barolo after nearly three decades away. Fifty-year-old vines, a single site in Serralunga d’Alba, and a wine built for real ageing. Order online in Nairobi through The Wine Box Kenya.
In 1961 Angelo Gaja made a decision that looked reckless at the time. He decided the family would stop buying fruit from other growers and bottle only what came from their own vineyards, a stance so firm that Gaja went years without producing Barolo at all, since the family didn’t yet own land there. That gap didn’t close until 1988, when they purchased twelve hectares in one of the best positions in Serralunga d’Alba. The land was named Sperss, a Piedmontese dialect word for nostalgia, a nod to Angelo’s father Giovanni and his own memories of working that exact site as a nineteen-year-old, decades before the Gaja family ever owned it.
The vineyard itself sits in an amphitheater shape across the Marenca-Rivette subarea, on compact clayey-calcareous marls facing south and southwest, with vines now averaging fifty years old. That combination of soil, exposure and vine maturity is what gives Sperss its reputation for both power and precision at once. The 2021 season saw rain distributed differently than usual, falling more in summer than in the typical winter and spring pattern, and the resulting wines are marked by unusually pure fruit expression. For a Nairobi buyer looking for a Barolo with real history behind the name and decades of ageing potential in the glass, this is Gaja’s answer to what a single site in Serralunga can produce when it’s given fifty years to mature.
Product Facts
- Vintage: 2021
- Producer: Gaja
- Country: Italy
- Region: Piedmont
- Appellation: Barolo DOCG
- Vineyard: Sperss, Marenca-Rivette subarea, Serralunga d’Alba
- Grape Variety: Nebbiolo 100%
- Category: Red Wine
- Style: Full bodied, structured, age-worthy red
- Vine Age: 50 years on average
- Vineyard Details: 30 acres arranged in an amphitheater shape, compact clayey-calcareous marls, south and southwest exposure, average altitude 1,210 feet
- Serving Temperature: 16–18°C
About The Winery
Angelo Gaja took over his family’s Barbaresco estate in 1961, the same year he made the decision to stop buying fruit from other growers and rely entirely on estate-owned vineyards. That principle meant going without a Barolo for years, since the family didn’t yet own land in the appellation, a gap that lasted until 1988 when they acquired the Sperss vineyard in Serralunga d’Alba. All Gaja wines continue to be produced exclusively from grapes grown on estate-owned land, spanning roughly 250 acres across Barbaresco and Barolo in Piedmont, along with the family’s Tuscan estates at Pieve Santa Restituta and Ca’ Marcanda. Angelo now works alongside his children Gaia, Rossana and Giovanni, the fifth generation to lead the family’s vineyards. 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.
We offer FREE Click & Collect services where you can choose to place your order on our website and collect it from our Warehouse in Karen. We're located at 76/77 Dagoretti Road, Karen (Opposite The Hub Karen) and your order will be ready within 60 minutes of ordering on the site. This is also a great opportunity to get to meet us in person (we'd love to meet you!).
Want to be rewarded for your love of quality wine and spirits? The Wine Box Club offers you exclusive discounts and access to new products and special events. Upon making your first order, you are automatically a Silver member and will receive our weekly membership email with information exclusive to The Wine Box Club members. Learn more about The Wine Box Club here.
Buy an electronic gift card for all occasions. Loaded with your chosen credit amount, send it to your friends and loved ones and let them choose their own perfect gift from The Wine Box.
You may also place a normal order on our website and have it sent out as a gift. Just remember to indicate that this is a gift on the notes section and provide the contact and delivery details of the person you're sending it to.
