Monica Larner of Robert Parker Wine Advocate has awarded a score of 97 points to Pieve Santa Restituta Sugarille Brunello di Montalcino 2015.
“The more muscular and fruit-forward of the two Brunelli made by Pieve Santa Restituta is the 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille. This is a darkly saturated and rich wine that pours from the bottle with dark fruit, plum and black currant. Velvety in texture, tactile and generous, this is a long-term wine to set aside in your cellar. Only 6,000 bottles were made. You’ll want to give it time to relax and take on more volume with age. Truth be told, like the Barbaresco wines from Gaja that have changed stylistically going from a more extracted style to a streamlined approach, these two wines from the family’s Montalcino property seem to have evolved along similar lines. Sugarille has gone from being more flashy and contemporary to understated and classic in this newest incarnation.”
Monica Larner of Robert Parker Wine Advocate has awarded a score of 96 points to Pieve Santa Restituta 2015 Rennina Brunello di Montalcino.
“The 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina is beautifully balanced and elegant. The wine is successfully streamlined and focused on the nuanced characteristics of the otherwise warm and sunny 2015 vintage. Rennina is often considered to be the more lithe and graceful of Gaja’s two Brunellos (the other being Sugarille that is also reviewed here). The bouquet opens to pretty berry nuances, blue flower, lavender, grilled herb and powdery licorice. Despite the more delicate approach, Rennina delivers ample power in the mouth with fresh acidity and tight tannins. I’d suggest opening this bottle at the 10-year mark.”
Bruce Sanderson of Wine Spectator has awarded a score of 95 points to Pieve Santa Restituta 2015 Rennina Brunello di Montalcino.
95 points “Aromatic, evoking wild herb and balsamic notes of juniper, thyme and pine, along with flavors of black cherry, plum and iron. Firmly structured and fresh, offering a long, complex aftertaste. Unfolds pleasantly and maintains balance. Best from 2023 through 2043. 550 cases imported.”
Bruce Sanderson of Wine Spectator has awarded 94 points to Pieve Santa Restituta Sugarille Brunello di Montalcino 2015
“A concentrated, muscular red, featuring a dense matrix of tannins that squeezes the black cherry and black currant flavors today, with tar and iron notes chiming in. Finishes on the gruff side. Overall, this is balanced and long. Be patient. Best from 2024 through 2043. 450 cases imported.”
93 points: Pieve Santa Restituta 2013 Rennina (Brunello di Montalcino)
“This is fragrant, offering cherry, leather, floral and spice notes. On the palate, this remains fresh, with persistent flavors and fine harmony. Dusty tannins pull everything together on the finish. There’s plenty of energy here. Best from 2021 through 2035.”- Bruce Sanderson.
94 points: Pieve Santa Restituta 2013 Rennina (Brunello di Montalcino)
“This perfumed Brunello offers enticing scents of pressed violet, rose, talcum powder, wild berry, eucalyptus and a whiff of exotic spice. On the structured palate, firm fine-grained tannins provide support for dried black cherry, licorice, vanilla and a hint of espresso. Drink from 2023 through 2033.”- Kerin O’Keefe.
96 points: Pieve Santa Restituta 2013 Sugarille (Brunello di Montalcino) – Cellar Selection
“Underbrush, new leather, wild herb and dark-skin berry aromas meld with balsamic whiffs of eucalyptus. The full-bodied firmly structured palate evokes raspberry compote, black cherry marinated in spirits, tobacco and star anise set against a backbone of close-grained tannins. This will age for decades. Drink 2023–2043.”- Kerin O’Keefe.
“A mix of sweet plum, cherry, bouillon and graphite aromas and flavors, all backed by a solid structure, this is dense and tightly wound, with terrific balance and a long, focused finish. Best from 2022 through 2036,” – B.S.
The quality obtained in 2012 from several vineyards has not been quite up to our standards. Therefore, following a long established tradition, we decided to sell in bulk part of the wine produced and to sacrifice the bottling of Rennina and Sugarille for a better BRUNELLO di MONTALCINO 2012. This is the only wine released from the Pieve Santa Restituta winery in this harvest.
Climate and harvest: The weather trend of the 2012 vintage featured a mild winter season combined with a dry springtime and a warm summer. Beneficial rainfalls came by the end of August 2012, leading to a positive decrease of the temperature. This helped the vines in their physiological cycle and thus the regular ripening of the grapes. The harvest began on September 10 and ended on September 29. There has been a 10% production loss compared with previous years. The Brunello 2012 displays intense color, good structure and bright acidity.
Vineyards: A small part of the grapes from the Rennina and Sugarille vineyards are blended with those from the nine-hectare Vineyard in Torrenieri, in the north-eastern area of Montalcino. The soil in Torrenieri is a mixture of clay, tufa and sand while thesoil in Rennina and Sugarille is clayey-calcareous.
Winemaking method: The grapes from the different vineyards ferment and macerate separately for around three weeks. After 24 months of ageing in oak, the wines are blended and then aged for another six months in concrete vats. First vintage produced 2005.
Tasting notes: The Brunello 2012 shows a deep garnet color. The bouquet features layered notes of spices and balsamic herbs such as anise, clove, and juniper. In a second moment the fruit opens up with notes of black cherry and ripe plum. Final hints of hazelnut and fresh almond. The palate shows dense savory notes of tar refreshed by precise and sweet tannins. Overall, the medium structure and the balance featured in the Brunello 2012 lead to great drinkability combined with serious ageing potential.
In a new tasting report on 2011 Brunello, Sugarille and Rennina have received outstanding reviews from International Wine Report:
GAJA Brunello di Montalcino ‘Sugarille’ 2011 94 Points The 2011 ‘Sugarille’ Brunello di Montalcino is a absolutely seductive showing. It instantly opens with alluring aromas of black cherries and blackberries woven together with spices, floral, hazelnut and even hints of licorice which all come together and burst from the glass. This possesses a rich, polished texture with remarkable overall balance and depth as it expands beautifully onto the long lingering finish. In terms of style, this leans more to the modern side, but without question a well-made wine and extremely impressive Brunello from Angelo Gaja which will age gracefully for years to come. (Best 2018-2031)
GAJA Brunello di Montalcino ‘Rennina’ 2011 93 Points The 2011 ‘Rennina’ Brunello di Montalcino presents a completely modern style, with loads of ripe dark fruit. As this instantly opens, it releases aromas of black cherries and blackberries woven together with spices, floral, leather and even hints of white truffle and vanilla all taking shape in the glass. On the palate this is full-bodied with a polished, yet muscular backbone and notable depth as it heads into the long finish. When tasting the 2011’s from Angelo Gaja side by side, I found the ‘Sugarille’ to be the more complete wine of the two, however ‘Rennina’ was the more expressive wine at this stage. (Best 2016-2029)
The International Wine Report’s full 2011 Brunello report is available online here.
