Gaja Ca' Marcanda Camarcanda 2021 750ml

The 2019 Camarcanda is a fabulous example of how the estate has been pushing the bar higher consistently and with a steady hand. It is layered and compelling, with rich aromas of sage, anise, lavender, black cherry liqueur, and crushed salty limestone earth. A profound and impeccable wine with harmonious depth and balanced structure, it is concentrated and compact throughout, but it drives forward in the mouth with seamless energy and somehow retains the incredible mineral texture that the 2018 shows off with distinction. With super-fine tannins, it has a long arch to its expression and balances sweet fruit with a Tuscan stamp of herbaceous and mineral accents. Incredible. Drink 2026–2046. (Audrey Frick)

This is a gorgeous vintage that continues to flesh out beautifully. I added an extra point to my score since the last time I tasted the 2019 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda in order to underline the great potential of this vintage. This wine could legally be a Bolgheri Superiore, but Angelo Gaja prefers not to use qualifying wine terms such as Superiore, Classico or Riserva in his various wine projects spanning from Piedmont to Tuscany to Etna. Semantics aside, this is a gorgeous wine—one of the best made at Ca’ Marcanda for sure—with impressive intensity and balance. Dark fruit and blackberry are contrasted against spice, tobacco, grilled rosemary and Mediterranean bramble. The 2019 vintage saw favorable weather conditions and “just the right amount of rain,” Gaja says. (Monica Larner)

The Ca' Marcanda 2021 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda is made with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc in a supporting role. This a bold and beautifully concentrated wine with a brilliant character that is best described as Rubenesque. It shows supple texture and deep richness supported by sweet fruit and raspberry tart. The ripe, well-managed tannins cede to tingling freshness that adds energy and life.

Pure and elegant, with saturated flavors of violet, black currant, blackberry, licorice and iron. This is so beautifully balanced that it feels almost seamless, even at this young stage, offering a sleek profile and endless aftertaste that echoes the fruit. The oak is very well-integrated, with polished tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2026 through 2045. 2,500 cases made, 333 cases imported.

Bottled in July of 2022, the 2021 Ca' Marcanda has a dark saturated ruby hue and seamless aromatics of graphite, black cherry liqueur, cocoa powder, and forest herbs. Full-bodied on the palate, with great structure, focus and length, and wonderful richness, it’s incredibly even in its balance and has a very long finish. It’s going to need a few years to improve and show its best, but this is a remarkable wine from this stunning vintage. Drink 2026-2046.

This is another beautiful creation from the Gaja family. The 2016 Bolgheri Rosso Camarcanda (Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc) is infinitely smooth and finely textured down to the very last pixel in what is a high-resolution panoramic photograph. The core of the wine is packed tight with an explosion of flavor and concentration with so much dark fruit, spice, tobacco and sweet tobacco that unfurls from deep inside. This wine will have a long and, I am quite sure, very happy aging future ahead. It shows utmost precision and balance, with long persistence and a beautifully polished texture. Some 22,000 bottles were made.

The 2016 Ca’Marcanda sports an almost opaque purple color as well as a heavenly bouquet of blackcurrants, smoked earth, charcoal, graphite, and tobacco. A blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Cabernet Franc, aged 18 months in French oak, this full-bodied, remarkably pure red has ultra-fine tannins, plenty of acidity (although it’s perfectly integrated), flawless balance, and a great, great finish. Drink this beautiful, sexy Toscana over the coming 15 years or more. (Jeb Dunnuck)

This verges on thick yet remains balanced and vibrant, courtesy of the lively acidity. Boasts blackberry, dark plum and blueberry flavors framed by tar and toasty oak. The finish is both dense and clean, with a hint of licorice. Excellent length and potential. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2024 through 2038. 1,500 cases made, 225 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)

Fragrant florals punctuate the nose, ranging from lavender to hyacinth, and there are hints of heather and thyme, too. Citrusy undertones abound. There’s a profundity to the center palate, which is decked out in sheets of dark fruit-flavored, muscular tannins that retain a telltale elegance, as they envelop the peripheries of the mouth. Long and mineral, this is a delightful wine now and will continue to open up as the years go by. Drink from 2023.

The 2016 Camarcanda is pretty, open-knit and gracious in its bouquet, although there is a good bit of Cabernet tannin underpinning the dark fruit. Hints of chocolate, mint, sage, tobacco, licorice and blackberry develop in the glass. The 2016 needs a few years to soften, but it is undeniably attractive and inviting. It’s hard to say if it is the vintage, or if the style here has moved towards a bit more freshness as it has at Gaja in Piedmont, but the 2016 Camarcanda does seem to have an extra kick of vibrancy over some previous editions. I can’t wait to taste it with some bottle age.

A tightly wound version, with black cherry, blueberry, tobacco and iron flavors etched into a sleek, tensile texture. Balanced on the tannic side and in need of a grilled steak or lamb. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2021 through 2033. 250 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)

A savory and juicy young red with currant, raspberry and boysenberry aromas and flavors that follow through to a medium to full body, with creamy and polished tannins and a pretty finish. There’s a freshness and focus to this. Drink after 2027.

The 2019 Camarcanda is a very good example of how much the wines have charged here. Medium in body with good depth, the 2019 Camarcanda is a tightly wound wine that is going to need a number of years to be at its best. Dark cherry, mocha, new leather, licorice and spice build nicely, with pretty floral and mineral accents that liven up the finish. The 2019 is classy, elegant and polished. Give it a few years, as the tannins are pretty intense today, but this softens nicely with air.

Austere in aroma, this red reveals intense flavors of cherry, raspberry, rose and mineral. Firmly structured, yet stays on course with a laser of fruit. Vanilla and toast notes chime in on the finish. Fine balance, length and complexity. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2021 through 2033. 300 cases imported. (Bruce Sanderson)

A very fresh nose with notes of lavender, herbs, licorice and nutmeg. Medium to full body, a really driven line of acidity and a long, very taut finish. Wood shows at the end. Needs two or three years to soften. Better in 2020.