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Angelo Gaja - 1997
Angelo Gaja, the 65-year-old reigning prince of Piedmont, almost single-handedly put Barbaresco on the fine-wine map. Since taking over the family winery in the late 1960s, Gaja has helped to transform once-sleepy Barbaresco into a center of adventurous Italian winemaking and turned Nebbiolo into a popular grape. He also pioneered the development of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay as stand-alone varietals, a radical move in the region. Never content to rest on his laurels, he acquired an estate in Barolo in 1996, invested in Bolgheri in Tuscany and has added a Brunello to his stable. Photographed in 2001.
