Sweet tobacco, mocha, plums, smoke and licorice are some of the many notes that meld together in the 1997 Sorì San Lorenzo. The 1997 retains gorgeous radiance, sweetness and volume, even if the aromatics are now beginning to show slightly more forward notes. The 1997 is a gorgeous wine to drink now and over the next decade, but, quite uncharacteristically, it looks to be a relatively early maturing wine for this site.

This was my fourth bottle with friends in Hong Kong during my birthday last week. The 1997 vintage was a great one for Gaja, and he made rich and structured single-vineyard wines. It was the first year that he started using Langhe DOC instead of the Barbaresco DOCG appellation – a mistake in my opinion but that's another column. This bottle showed greatness as always with aromas of dried fruits, mushrooms and eucalyptus. It was full-bodied with integrated tannins and a long and intense finish. Minerals and spices came through as an aftertaste, and the flavors went on for minutes. The wine is just coming around now. Decant before serving.

Profound, the 1997 Sori San Lorenzo is an elegant, nuanced, and complex Gaja offering. It exhibits a striking perfume of lead pencil, roasted nuts, black fruits, spice box, leather, cedar, and Chinese black tea. Forward yet enormously constituted and rich, with an ethereal elegance underpinning its personality, the Sori Lorenzo displays a classic combination of power and finesse. Sadly, there are only 10,000 bottles. As this wine sat in the glass, notes of Japanese soy sauce made an appearance. Anticipated maturity: 2002-2030.

Very dark ruby. Aromas of rose bush, black pepper and sliced plum. Full-bodied, with super-well-integrated tannins. They are big and rich, yet refined and polished. This still needs time to mellow. But what a wine. It keeps on changing in the glass, with loads of vanilla bean, fruit and herbs and then goes floral. Still needs time.--1997 Italian blind retrospective. James Suckling

Full ruby. Cool, rather unforthcoming nose hints at cassis, redcurrant, plum, menthol and flowers. The least evolved of these '97 Barbarescos, but already shows great sappy snap and vinosity thanks to sound acidity and firm tannic spine. Perhaps less elegant than the Sori Tildin but boasts a monumental structure for a wine from the Barbaresco appellation, as well as compelling precision of flavor. Finishes with great tannic spine and outstanding persistence. Gaja will bottle the '97 crus between November and February.

At this stage, the 1997s look to be the finest wines Gaja has ever made. My enthusiasm is obviously due in part to the stylistic preference I have for more opulently textured wines with lower acidity and thus a broader window of drinkability. The full-bodied 1997 Barbaresco Sori San Lorenzo exhibits an intense nose of Asian spices, smoked meats, and black cherry liqueur. Low in acidity, fat, and plush, with unbelievable richness and glycerin as well as surprising forwardness, this large-scaled, satiny-textured Barbaresco will be drinkable upon release and last for two decades. Importer: Vinifera Imports, Ronkonkoma, NY; tel. (516) 467-5907