The 2020 Costa Russi was also tasted from barrel and takes on more depth and concentration from the Barbaresco, though is beautifully floral and expansive, with notes of wild strawberry and lavender. Medium-bodied, with fantastic length and persistence, this beautiful wine is showing incredibly well at this early stage prior to release, but it does have a bit more tannin structure that will benefit from more time in bottle over the next year or so. (AF)

The 2020 Barbaresco Costa Russi is a classy, polished wine. Dark cherry, plum, mocha, new leather, licorice and lavender all take shape. As always, Costa Russi is the most supple and charming of the Gaja Barbarescos in the early going. (EG)

The Gaja 2020 Barbaresco Costa Russi has a rose and floral note that emerges at first, and it doesn't have the heavy dark earth or cured leather aromas that we get in the Barbaresco. This wine is focused on fruit tones, bright ones, and those nuances are juicy, generous and long. There's more youth in this wine, and the tannins are extremely fine and silky. Count on this wine to improve with age. (ML)