Expect dark cherry, tar, rose petal, tobacco, and earth with refined tannins and high acidity. The 2010 vintage in Barolo is widely regarded as classic and long-lived. At over a decade of bottle age, the wine should be showing good integration with years ahead.
- Varietal
- Predominantly Nebbiolo with a small portion of Barbera (Gaja's traditional Conteisa blend)
- Region
- Italy / Piedmont / La Morra (Barolo zone)
- Body
- Full
- Style
- dry red, age-worthy, structured, oak-aged
The producer
Gaja is one of the most famous wineries in Piedmont, founded in 1859 and led for decades by Angelo Gaja, who modernized Italian winemaking and elevated Nebbiolo's global reputation. Conteisa comes from a vineyard in the Cerequio cru of La Morra. Gaja chose to label it Langhe DOC rather than Barolo DOCG starting in 1996 — "Conteisa" means "contention" in Piedmontese, referencing both the labeling decision and a long-running boundary dispute over the vineyard.
What critics say
Gaja's single-vineyard wines are consistently among the most highly rated in Italy, with Conteisa generally scoring in the mid- to high-90s from major critics.
Pairing
Truffled pasta, braised short rib, lamb chops with rosemary