2016 Pieve Santa Restituta (Gaja), Brunello di Montalcino, Sugarille 6x75cl

Robert Parker 95

The Pieve Santa Restituta 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille opens to the dark, fruity intensity that defines this five-hectare site with schistous clay galestro-rich soils. Sugarille always shows more heft and density, and this impression is amplified in a balanced vintage such as 2016. But with the memory of the 2015 vintage fresh in my mind, I feel that this edition is slightly lither and more streamlined in terms of mouthfeel. The tannins are direct and linear, but the fruit padding is lessened compared to the slightly warm 2015 vintage. In most cases, I prefer 2016 to 2015, but in the case of Sugarille (a 10,000-bottle release), I give a tiny upper hand to the older vintage thanks to its increased complexity and richer textural fiber. [01/11/2011]

Anticipated maturity: 2024-2043

Vinous 96

The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille is a sleeping giant. Cool-toned, poised yet wonderfully elegant, it lifts from the glass with a gorgeous display of lavender and purple-tinged florals before giving way to crushed stone, blackberries and a hint of sour citrus. It’s silky and soft with a dense core of primary fruits, which creates a monolithic feel today yet tempts the imagination with what’s to come. Brisk acids, salty minerals and fine-grained tannins combine, adding clenching grip yet also further depths, tapering off to hints of tobacco and spiced orange. Its scale is large, yet so is its potential, as this well-muscled Brunello is geared for the cellar and sure to make a lot of people happy over the next ten to twenty years. [Eric Guido, 01/11/2020]

Anticipated maturity: 2026-2040

James Suckling 98

Plenty of black cherries, cedar, dried flowers and red cherries on the nose, following through to the palate, which is dense and compressed with gorgeous, intense fruit and chewy yet integrated tannins. Very, very impressive red here. Try after 2024. [01/11/2020]

Wine Enthusiast 95

Violet, new leather, camphor and spiced plum aromas are front and center on this fragrant red. Boasting structure and elegance, the full-bodied palate delivers Marasca cherry, cranberry, licorice and a hint of espresso alongside tightly wound, close-grained tannins. [01/05/2021]

Anticipated maturity: 2026-2041