The 2021 Barbaresco Costa Russi is a jeweled ruby color and is bright with fresh herbs, mint, cherries, thyme, and freshly dried earth. It has good volume and ripe structure on the palate and is long and cooling, with a note of fresh lavender. It also has a great, mouthwatering mineral tone with a more linear feel, but it’s powerful at the same time, with the sanguine and ripe blood orange notes that are shared across the vintage. It needs time, but wow, is it worth snapping up!
Gaja Barbaresco Costa Russi 2021 1x150cl 98/100 JD
Top Score: 98 points
“wow, is it worth snapping up!”
Price IN BOND
£1,065.00 1 x 150cl Magnum
2 in stock
Colour | Red |
---|---|
Vintage | 2021 |
Country | Italy |
Region | Piedmont |
98 points Jeb Dunnuck


97 points Heiner Lobenberg
Costa Russi comes from the Roncagliette cru site and lies directly below the Sori Tildin parcel at an altitude of 200 to 250 meters. “Russi” was the surname of the previous owner of the parcel, and the vines here are 40 to 50 years old. The vintages from 1996 to 2011 had around 5 percent Barbera in the cuvée, and as 100 percent Nebbiolo is required for the Barbaresco DOCG, the Costa Russi was bottled under the Langhe Nebbiolo DOC during this period – as were Gaja’s other single vineyards. Since the 2013 vintage, the wine is once again a pure Nebbiolo and bears the Barbaresco DOCG on the label. Fermentation in large Stockinger fermentation tanks made of Austrian oak, then the wine moves into small French barrels – barriques and 500-liter tonneaux. But no new wood is ever used. After 12 months, the blend is made, then it matures for a further 12 months in large barrels. The “Botte” used are made by Gamba from French oak and Stockinger from Austrian oak. Bright ruby red. The nose is deep and characterized by immense, light, ethereal complexity. Red cherries and aromatic wild strawberries with fresh mint and a delicate hint of vanilla. Sublime and yet seductively fragrant. In the mouth, the fruit is ultra precise and ripe – the monumental Gaja tannins cut it into small bites. A hint of chili spice, white pepper and fresh rock flour linger on the finish. The currently meagre structure of the wine demands bottle ageing in the cellar. A great wine, from a fantastic vintage, which should be forgotten in the cellar for a few years and will reach its drinking window in four to five years.
97 points James Suckling
This is so aromatic, with nutmeg, white pepper, matchstick, flint, bramble berries, blackberries and iodine. Medium-bodied with sleek and flexed tannins that give form and raciness. Spicy at the end. Shows excellent potential. Give this three to four years to open.
The 2021 Barbaresco Costa Russi is dark, rich and texturally enveloping in the style of the best wines from this hillside side. Plush contours give the Costa Russi its feeling of total sensuality. Macerated dark cherry, spice, leather, licorice and dried flowers are all beautifully amplified in this gorgeous, resonant Barbaresco. This is a fabulous Costa Russi.
