Gaja - Pieve di Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino 'Sugarille' 2018 (750ml)

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Producer	Gaja
Country	Italy
Region	Tuscany
Subregion	Brunello di Montalcino
Varietal	Sangiovese
Vintage	2018
Sku	38417
Size	750ml

 

WA

95

JD

96

JR

17.5

JS

96

V

95

The name Sugarille refers to this Brunello di Montalcino's origins from the 4.5 hectare parish vineyard identified in a 1547 inventory. Situated on clay, limestone and galestro soils facing south, the 2018 vintage followed a mild, dry winter and rainy spring/summer that necessitated diligent anti-mildew treatments. Despite warm, dry conditions later, techniques like canopy management achieved optimal fruit set, though some late August hail reduced quantities. Northerly Tramontana winds in September allowed perfect ripening for the 100% Sangiovese grapes harvested between mid-September and early October. After three weeks of fermentation and maceration, the wine aged 24 months in oak followed by six months in concrete vats. The 2018 Sugarille shows an intensely concentrated ruby hue with aromas of cotton candy, pomegranate and tea rose transcending to a savory, silky-tannin palate in this classically-styled vineyard expression.

The 2018 Brunello Di Montalcino Sugarille is layered with aromas of black licorice, wild raspberry, smoky cedar, and sweet Mediterranean herbs. It is medium to full-bodied with gorgeous concentration and length in its fresh cherry fruit, salty earth, ripe and present tannins, iron-rich earth, and warming spice. As it opens, it reveals layers of leather, fresh pine, and orange peel, and it is exceptionally balanced between its elegance, weightless feel, and noble tension. It needs another couple of years in bottle before hitting its prime drinking 2025-2045.

Aromas of red plums, sour cherries, spice box, oranges, cloves and capers. Moss and porcini, too. Beautifully open, with a medium to full body and very fine, silky tannins. Lovely purity of fruit here, with a long, seamless finish. Ethereal and transparent. Drink from 2024.

Showing extra richness and textural weight, the 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille is structured, rich and intense. This wine represents fruit from a single site that is characterized by schistous galestro soils. These conditions give Sugarille its heavier center of gravity and its distinguished power and heft. Dark fruit, balsam herb and pencil shavings shape a beautiful and precise bouquet. Give this wine more time to age.  Monica Larner

The 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille keeps me coming back to the glass again and again to take in its spicy yet also wonderfully lifted bouquet, as shavings of cedar and pine evolve to reveal mentholated herbs, flinty stone and dried black cherries. This is deeply textural, soothing with its combination of ripe red fruits and juicy acidity, as sweet spices and mint nuances resonate toward the close. The Sugarille doesn’t miss a beat, tapering off with impeccable balance and regal structure, while allowing remnants of ripe wild berries and plum to linger on and on. The Gaja family has really outdone themselves in this idiosyncratic vintage.

Deep ruby with orange tinges. Savoury and slightly reductive on the nose with pure cherry underneath. Pure and focused on the palate, if slow to unfurl, and with complex oak notes slowly revealing themselves. Right now, the powdery tannins take the lead on the finish, but this needs much more time. (WS)