Outspoken and pioneering, Angelo Gaja has done much to change the landscape of the wines of Barbaresco. He took over the reins of the family estate from his father Giovanni in 1970 and started his process of modernization almost immediately.

By the time of the 1978 vintage, he replaced the traditional large bottle in favor of French barriques, a step that caused many heads to turn at the time. Today, the business is very much a family affair with his wife and children all playing a vital role in either winemaking, management, or marketing of the estate’s wines.

The famed Rossj-Bass is produced from Chardonnay grapes grown in an estate-owned Rossj vineyard, named for Angelo Gaja's younger daughter Rossana (Rossj). Bass is Piedmontese for the Italian basso, meaning low, a name derived from the vineyard's position. Pheasants are featured on Rossj-Bass' label to commemorate the beautiful birds that inhabit the forests adjacent to Gaja's vineyards.

Blend: 95% Chardonnay and 5% Sauvignon Blanc

Reveals itself in the glass in a bright light yellow. 

Displays wonderfully elegant notes of pink grapefruit, grapefruit, orange and quince in the glass. There are also hints of garrigue, lovage and Mediterranean herbs.

Silky and crisp white wine is balanced and multi-faceted on the palate.

On the finish, there are hints of kumquat and lemongrass, mineral notes from the clay and limestone-dominated soils are added.