Gaja Cremes 2017: When Two Unlikely Grapes Make a Surprisingly Good Marriage
Angelo Gaja built his reputation on Nebbiolo, but Cremes is an entirely different proposition. Instead of another monumental Barbaresco, this unusual Langhe red combines Dolcetto and Pinot Noir in equal proportions, bringing together two grapes that rarely share the same bottle.
The result is a wine with an intriguing personality: generous fruit, supple tannins, discreet oak and enough freshness to keep its structure lively. The 2017 vintage adds a little extra richness, while nine years of evolution have given the wine a softer, more mature character.
Cremes is not one of Gaja’s great masterpieces, nor was it intended to be. Its charm lies in its unconventional blend and relative approachability. At around €40 it also offers an opportunity to explore the less celebrated side of one of Italy’s most prestigious producers.
The Basics
- Producer: Gaja
- Wine: Cremes
- Vintage: 2017
- Classification: Langhe DOC
- Region: Piedmont, Italy
- Production area: Langhe
- Grapes: 50% Dolcetto, 50% Pinot Noir
- Vinification: Separate fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks
- Ageing: Approximately six months in oak, followed by bottle maturation
- Alcohol: 14% ABV
- Bottle size: 750 ml
- Serving temperature: 15–17°C
- Style: Dry, medium-bodied red
- Drinking window: Ready to drink
Gaja: Beyond the Great Nebbiolos of Barbaresco
Few Italian wine producers have influenced the international reputation of Piedmont as profoundly as Gaja.
The family established its winery in Barbaresco in 1859, but the transformation into a globally recognised luxury wine producer began under Angelo Gaja, who joined the family business in 1961.
Angelo introduced a series of changes that challenged established local practices. Lower vineyard yields, individual parcel vinification, temperature-controlled fermentation and the introduction of French oak barrels helped redefine expectations for Barbaresco.
His approach was not universally welcomed. Traditionalists regarded some of these innovations with suspicion, particularly when the use of smaller barrels began altering the aromatic and structural profile of Nebbiolo.
Yet the results attracted extraordinary international attention. Gaja helped demonstrate that Barbaresco could command the prestige and prices traditionally associated with the most celebrated wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy.
The family’s portfolio subsequently expanded beyond the original Barbaresco estate, with investments in Barolo, Tuscany and other prestigious vineyard areas.
But Gaja’s identity has never rested exclusively on monumental Nebbiolo.
Cremes belongs to a less formal side of the winery, one concerned with approachable reds and the possibilities offered by grapes outside the traditional hierarchy of the Langhe.
Its position becomes particularly interesting when compared with the estate’s famous Barbaresco. Where the latter pursues depth, ageing potential and considerable structural ambition, Cremes concentrates on accessible fruit, balance and a more relaxed drinking experience.
It is still a carefully constructed wine, but without the formidable ambitions of Gaja’s most expensive labels.
Dolcetto and Pinot Noir: A Marriage Nobody Expected
Cremes is built around a rather unusual proposition: equal proportions of two grape varieties with very different personalities.
Dolcetto is one of Piedmont’s most traditional red grapes. Despite its name, which suggests sweetness, it produces dry wines generally characterised by generous fruit, relatively moderate acidity and a distinctive almond-like bitterness on the finish.
For generations, Dolcetto was the dependable everyday red of the Langhe, the bottle opened while the more prestigious Nebbiolo continued ageing in the cellar.
Pinot Noir occupies a very different position in the international wine world.
Famous for its role in Burgundy, it is prized for its aromatic delicacy, relatively transparent colour, fine tannins and capacity to develop remarkable complexity with age.
It also has a long-established presence in several Italian regions, although Piedmont is hardly its most celebrated home.
Combining the two varieties might initially appear strange. Dolcetto contributes colour, ripe fruit and a firmer structural foundation, while Pinot Noir introduces fragrance, a finer texture and a different expression of freshness.
The relationship is more complementary than competitive.
Dolcetto supplies much of the wine’s immediate personality, while Pinot Noir prevents the blend from becoming excessively broad or heavy.
This is particularly interesting in the warm 2017 vintage, when maintaining balance was an important challenge across much of Piedmont.
The name Cremes refers to crimson, the vivid reddish-purple colour associated with traditional silk production in the region.
It is an appropriate name for a wine whose identity owes more to colour, fruit and pleasure than to the austere grandeur of Nebbiolo.
The 2017 Vintage: A Difficult Year with Plenty of Ripeness
The 2017 growing season was unusually hot and dry across Piedmont.
Spring frost affected parts of the region, while the summer brought prolonged periods of elevated temperatures and limited rainfall. Harvests generally arrived earlier than usual, with reduced yields in several areas.
These conditions encouraged sugar accumulation and concentrated fruit, but they also created difficulties for growers attempting to preserve acidity and achieve balanced phenolic maturity.
For Dolcetto, which naturally possesses less acidity than Nebbiolo, excessive ripeness could easily produce a wine with considerable weight but insufficient freshness.
Pinot Noir brought its own challenges. Its relatively thin skins and sensitivity to heat make it particularly vulnerable to excessive ripeness and loss of aromatic definition.
Cremes 2017 reflects the warm vintage in its generous fruit and rounded texture, but the wine retains enough energy to avoid becoming heavy.
The combination of varieties is especially important here. The slightly more restrained character of Pinot Noir offers contrast to Dolcetto’s generous personality, creating a wine with a more articulate structure than either variety might suggest in isolation.
Nine years after the harvest, the original fruit has begun to move towards a more mature expression. The wine is no longer dominated by youthful exuberance, and its softer texture has become one of its principal attractions.
However, Cremes was never conceived as a red requiring prolonged cellaring. The 2017 has reached a stage where drinking it makes considerably more sense than waiting for further evolution.
Winemaking: Separate Fermentation and a Short Period in Oak
Gaja vinifies the two grape varieties separately, allowing Dolcetto and Pinot Noir to reach their individual expressions before blending.
The grapes ferment in stainless steel under controlled temperatures, an approach designed to preserve fruit character and manage extraction.
The wines subsequently undergo approximately six months of oak maturation, followed by further development in bottle before release.
Compared with the elaborate maturation regimes associated with Gaja’s flagship reds, this is a relatively restrained approach.
The objective is not to transform Cremes into an exceptionally concentrated or heavily wooded wine. Oak contributes a little roundness and spice, but the blend depends primarily on the natural characteristics of its two varieties.
This distinction is fundamental to its identity.
Dolcetto does not need extensive barrel maturation to become interesting, while excessive oak could easily suppress Pinot Noir’s more delicate aromatic qualities.
The comparatively brief maturation gives Cremes a polished texture without eliminating the immediacy that makes it attractive.
In the 2017, the wood has become less conspicuous with age, leaving a wine whose appeal rests mainly on mature fruit, gentle savoury development and a pleasant balance between freshness and softness.
Tasting Notes
Colour: Ruby red with garnet reflections, retaining good depth but showing the first signs of maturity.
Bouquet: Ripe cherry, raspberry and blackcurrant introduce a generous nose, followed by dried violet, a little sweet spice and a restrained earthy undertone. Delicate suggestions of tobacco and almond add interest without overwhelming the fruit. The aromatic development is pleasant and harmonious, although relatively straightforward.
Palate: Medium-bodied, rounded and supple, with mature red fruit supported by moderate acidity and fine, slightly drying tannins. Dolcetto contributes breadth and a pleasant savoury bitterness, while Pinot Noir brings a more delicate texture. The wine has good balance and an attractive sense of maturity, although the middle palate lacks the depth of more ambitious Langhe reds.
Finish: Moderately persistent, dry and gently savoury, with a characteristic almond note and a little lingering spice.
Our Verdict
Gaja Cremes Langhe 2017 is an enjoyable, unconventional Piedmontese red that demonstrates how an intelligent blend can produce something more interesting than the sum of its parts.
The combination of Dolcetto and Pinot Noir is its strongest asset. Dolcetto provides generosity and character, while Pinot Noir introduces a little elegance and keeps the wine from becoming excessively rustic.
The 2017 vintage gives Cremes a particularly rounded personality. Its fruit is mature, the tannins have softened and the oak has settled comfortably into the background.
Nevertheless, there are limitations.
The aromatic complexity is relatively modest, and the finish lacks the persistence expected from genuinely great Italian reds. The wine is balanced rather than profound, with an agreeable texture but little of the remarkable tension or complexity that can make mature Pinot Noir unforgettable.
Nor does it possess the structural authority of Gaja’s celebrated Nebbiolos.
That is not a criticism of the blend itself. It simply establishes the wine’s position within a portfolio built around some of Italy’s most prestigious bottles.
Cremes occupies an interesting middle ground between an everyday Piedmontese red and a more ambitious interpretation of the Langhe. Its personality is distinctive, its production is carefully managed and its mature character makes it particularly attractive at the table.
The difficulty is separating the wine’s intrinsic quality from the prestige of the name on the label.
Price
Around €40.
Food Pairings
Paella, vitello tonnato, chicken curry, pulled pork, empanadas, hamburgers.
