The 2025 vintage according to Gaja: reduced quantities, slow ripening, and structured wines

Gaja reports a 2025 vintage in the Langhe with a clear profile. The season started with widespread rainfall, low fertility, and an early summer. Precipitation during harvest, combined with above-average temperatures, generated concerns that were not confirmed. The grapes reached full maturity. The wines show broad aromas and marked structure. Production is limited, with declines between 20% and 30% compared to 2024.

The 2025 wines appear concentrated. They show character, substance, significant structure, fruity expressiveness, dense and sweet tannins, and balance. The comparison with 2004 concerns aromatic quality and expressiveness, albeit in a reduced production context.

September and October 2024 were marked by bad weather. November and December saw almost no rainfall and above-average temperatures. On December 16, pruning during the waning moon began to contain vegetative development and delay ripening in vineyards most sensitive to frost. Winter was mild. In January, 70 mm of rain fell, an unusual event in the Langhe. Soil saturation kept ground temperatures low, causing a general delay in the vegetative cycle.

February, March, and April were characterized by abundant rainfall and normal temperatures. Accumulations between 90 and 130 mm caused some landslides. The last week of April marked a sharp change: highs between 26 and 28°C and strong temperature swings accelerated vegetative growth. Copper and sulfur treatments began to contain fungal pressure. Vegetative budbreak was regular, with a physiological profile considered favorable for Nebbiolo. May showed cool and unstable weather. Rainfall was 40 mm in Barolo, 80 mm in Barbaresco, and 85 mm in Alta Langa. Nebbiolo flowering began on May 14 at Sorì San Lorenzo, on the 19th at Cerequio, on the 22nd at Sperss, and in early June in Alta Langa. By late May, many vines were already in fruit set.

June brought a clear climate shift. The African anticyclone pushed highs to 34–36°C. Soils warmed rapidly, evapotranspiration increased, and relative humidity reached 60%. Fruit set was fast and regular. Nebbiolo fertility was 30% lower than in 2024, with lighter clusters. Toward the end of the month, the first symptoms of powdery mildew appeared, favored by high temperatures and humidity. Summer was early and variable: intense heat in late June, a cool July with temperatures 3-4°C below average, and a new heat wave between August 8 and 18, with peaks exceeding 40°C in the warmest sites. Heat stress accelerated ripening, concentrating sugars.

From mid-August to early September, temperatures dropped and rainfall was intense, especially in La Morra and Trezzo. The harvest of white grapes in Bassa Langa began on August 14 and concluded on the 27th. In Alta Langa, it was delayed by ten days, with rain intervals. From September 10, a stable week with highs of 25–26°C and lows of 14–15°C favored full Nebbiolo ripening in Barbaresco.

The harvest began on September 17. Rains on September 23 and 24 required attention to avoid botrytis. Picking concluded on September 26, with grapes described as flavorful and aromatic. In Barolo, rains accelerated ripening. The harvest in La Morra concluded on September 28 with slightly larger clusters, without loss of concentration. In Serralunga, picking ended on October 7 thanks to soil water reserves, which ensured balance and good sanitary condition.