The 2013 Gaja Sperss is a Nebbiolo-based Barolo DOCG from Serralunga d’Alba in Piedmont, sourced from the Marenca and Rivette vineyards. It comes from a late, cool 2013 growing season that helped build structure and concentration while preserving aromatic detail. The wine is listed at 14% alcohol, and the élevage is typically described as fermentation in steel followed by time in smaller oak and then larger barrels.

Critics were notably aligned on quality, with three excellent 96-point reviews from major publications. Monica Larner, writing for *Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate* (96 points), calls it “the quintessential attributes of the Serralunga d’Alba appellation,” emphasizing “dark fruit flavors and powerful intensity” and “rich layers of black fruit, wet earth, black truffle, licorice and spice.” She adds that the “tannic structure is firm and lasting,” with “broad shoulders and rich texture,” and notes that “this important wine is now part of the Barolo DOCG family.”

*Wine Spectator* (96 points) frames it in classic Barolo terms, citing “textbook rose, tar and cherry aromas and flavors,” backed by “oak spice, licorice and tobacco.” The magazine finds it “powerful, yet harmonious,” with “fine structure and a lingering finish,” and recommends cellaring, saying it is “best from 2022 through 2040.”

James Suckling (96 points) highlights lift and perfume alongside the wine’s firmness, pointing to “amazing aromas of cherries, oranges and light prunes with hints of wet earth and mushrooms,” calling it “very perfumed.” On the palate he describes it as “medium-bodied, firm and direct,” adding that it “needs at least five years to come together.”

Taken together, Sperss 2013 reads as a serious, cellar-worthy Serralunga Barolo: dark-fruited and mineral-leaning, with classic floral-tar complexity, substantial tannins, and clear promise with time.