Gaia & Rey derives from Angelo's first Chardonnay vineyard and is named for his oldest daughter, Gaia Gaja, and his grandmother, Clotilde Rey, a marketing mastermind who taught Angelo the importance of promotional efforts (making Gaja's tribute particularly apropos). The grapes for Gaia & Rey are from a 3.6 ha plot in calcareous clays on slopes facing west at 350 meters altitude at the village of Treiso in the Barbaresco zone. The vines were planted in 1979, with the 1994 marking its debut release. The grapes are stemmed and soft crushed and fermented with naturally occurring yeasts found on the grape skins for about 4 weeks in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then aged for 6-8 months in small oak barrels from France, Austria, Poland, Russia, and Hungary. Gaia & Rey is fermented with naturally occurring yeasts found on the grape skins and in the winery, endowing the wine with a touch of exoticism. It is a hedonistic wine, delivering lusciously ripe flavors of guava, tangerine, honey, marzipan, and oak spice. Impressively chewy in the mouth, the concentrated, ripe fruit is perfectly balanced by a lively acidity that persists through the long, lingering finish.
