When it comes to enigmatic Piedmontese wine, Fabio Gea dominates the throne. Should you be fortunate enough to stumble upon one of his cryptic, handmade bottles, you know you’ve struck gold. But coming across two at once? That’s vinous folklore...right? So we thought. Today marks the extraordinarily rare opportunity to acquire two of Gea’s breathtakingly pure, emphatically unique Nebbiolo bottlings: (1) His 100-case Barbaresco, a wild and powerful beast that matures in barrels steamed by a volcanic sauna and (2) his 150-case Langhe Nebbiolo, a pure, supernatural ball of energy that ages in homemade sandstone amphora.
I’m sure some of you are wondering just who this mystery man is, so allow me to save you some time: There’s no sense in trying to understand Fabio Gea—that is a doomed quest from the start. Instead, simply appreciate that wines of this exceptional purity and distinction even exist. His are otherworldy gems of calculated chaos and eccentricity both inside and out. Ultimately, Fabio Gea’s micro-produced wines embody the seismic shift in minimalist winemaking. We only have access to a few dozen two-packs and if they survive 30 minutes, I’ll be shocked. Enjoy these deeply natural and highly unorthodox Holy Grails!
So, where to start with the increasingly legendary Fabio Gea? You may have heard that Gea insists on every aspect of his work being driven by equal parts artistry and hand craftsmanship. Yes, Gea practices some of the most painstaking organic/biodynamic farming in Piedmont. Depending on the specific cuvée, Gea, a skilled ceramicist, vinifies his wines in homemade glass demijohn or amphora (anfora); sometimes it’s fermenters cut from solid sandstone, or sometimes even in his own barrels, made from lumber cured with steam from the volcanic stone in Gea’s home sauna! His obsession with detail and creativity extends to even the smallest details: wine labels are hand-printed on handmade paper which is hand-applied to bottles with a paintbrush. These would be remarkably challenging lengths to go to in any wine region, but the fact that Gea is located in the epicenter of Barbaresco only further boggles the mind.
Given that Gea lives and works in Barbaresco—i.e. some of the world’s most rarefied wine real estate—it’s necessary to mention that beneath the relentless experimentation and creativity here, there is a firm foundation of science and terroir. Gea holds a doctorate degree and is said to have earned a nice living while working as a geologist for large corporations in his years after university. I imagine some of that income came in handy when, a decade and a half ago, Gea renounced corporate life and retired to Barbaresco to rehabilitate his deceased grandfather’s long-fallow farmland and to revive the Gea family’s former winemaking glory. Still, while Gea has enjoyed a meteoric rise to contemporary wine celebrity, he is still working at an absurdly small scale. He farms a few small plots of Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto, mostly located near, or around, Barbaresco’s “Bricco di Neive” vineyard. He only bottles several hundred cases of wine each vintage, depending on yields, and the total is divided between a ~7 individual cuvées.
In my experience, the name, label, cépage (blend), production volume, and style of each wine are subject to change each year. Needless to say, this is not a property obsessed with classicism or profit: it is more akin to the studio of a singular, immensely gifted artist. To take the metaphor one step further, I would encourage everyone to embrace Gea’s wines with the same spirit as one would experience the art of Picasso or Kandinsky. There is undeniable craft, talent, and real magic in each of Gea’s wines, but they are in no way a buttoned-up, play-by-the-rules, classic “Piedmont Reds.” These are abstract, progressive wines that will infatuate those who enjoy a taste of life’s wild side. I’ve learned that the front label holds a lot number that sheds some light onto the wine in question. It requires a bit of decoding, of which I’ve explained below.
2018 “Cul Otte” Langhe
Lot Number: “Lm07190008g”
Translation: Bottled July 2019; zero oak; eight grams of sulfur; aged in sandstone anfora
Although the raw material for this wine is Nebbiolo within Barbaresco, this is technically a Langhe-designate due to the fact that no oak is used. Instead, Gea opts for his large, self-made anfora, born from sandstone. When removing the wax, be sure to avoid driving in with a corkscrew, as this is a glass closure that can be easily popped off by hand. Because of its raw energy and slight prickle, I suggest a brief 15-minute decant (no need to be gentle) before serving in Burgundy stems around 55-60 degrees. This wine is absolutely delicious. Insanely juicy cherry and dark berry fruit explodes with crushed rock shrapnel, smoke, candied rose, licorice, leather, and wild herbs. The palate is vibrant and zippy, with playful tannins that give way to intense waves of acidity. Incredibly fun to drink—will disappear inside of an hour.
2015 “Nòtu Seguiva le Gocce d’Acqua” Barbaresco
Lot Number: “Lm08193625”
Translation: Bottled August 2019; aged 36 months in barrel; 25 grams of sulfur
The Mac Daddy. The Powerhouse. The Brute. Gea’s Barbaresco hails from his infinitesimal parcel in Bricco di Neive (bricco = prime hilltop site; Neive = one of the three villages in Barbaresco DOCG). The wine aged for three years in his special, volcanic steam-cured barrels and has since seen another year in bottle. This is a furious beast right out of the bottle, and needs at least 60 minutes in a decanter before stealing your first sip. After breaking through the barrier of high-intensity yet fine-grained tannin, a wonderful mosaic of deep-colored brambly fruit collides with accents of ripe cherry, crushed earth, iron, horse saddle, whole leaf tobacco, baking spice, crushed rose, truffle, and thyme. The palate is full-bodied and full-intensity, but the skillful, minimalist winemaking style of Gea allows this Nebbiolo to hum along with light-footedness and superb energy. Enjoy over an entire evening and save a glass for the following day. This is special!
