GAJA Brunello di Montalcino Pieve Santa Restituta 'Sugarille 2020 WOODEN CASE x 6 Bottles - PRE-RELEASE

Description

As the exclusive Jersey importer for this iconic producer we are delighted to announce the release of the Gaja family’s Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino 2020’s: Brunello di Montalcino, Rennina, and Sugarille...

It is true to say that 2020 was not a uniformly or classically great vintage; hot, but not as dry as 2019 or 2021. However, this was the vintage of COVID restrictions which gave vignerons the time they needed to tend all their vineyards without the workloads of ‘usual’ life. This essentially created the conditions for 2020 to be a vintage where the producer made the biggest difference in the resultant quality of the wines. Not every producer could turn their focus to climate change and heat resistance in a single vintage, and while 2020 may be the turning point that Brunello needed to get away from brittle tannin and imbalanced alcohol in hot vintages, this is where the Gaja family really come into their own.

The Gaja’s have always been incredibly focussed on spending time in their vineyards and understanding the whole ecosystem that their vines thrive in - projects targeted at combatting climate change effects and the increasing number of ‘hot’ vintages have been their focus for many years, like the sensitive addition of organic matter (that has been carefully cultivated by the family) to the soils to give them the ability to retain more water and support the vines in the heat. 2020 is a vintage where the Gaja family were able to reap what they had sown.

This is a vintage where customers should be selective, but by no means should anyone miss out on the spectacular wines that can be found. Eric Guido has stated in his Brunello 2020 article on Vinous that “This is not a vintage to skip, nor is it just a “restaurant vintage.” The successful wines of 2020 are absolutely gorgeous. Readers just need to be selective”.

TASTING:

2020 shares similarities with 2015 and 2016, being generally warm but without extreme temperatures. The production yield is 15% lower than usual. The wines have a notable structure and concentration, with elegant, sweet tannins. They display abundant fruit, balanced acidity, and intense ruby-red hues.

Powerful and complex notes of dark, ripe fruits such as black berry and plums, and an intriguing note of petrichor. The entry on the palate is fresh, with enveloping and rich tannins that are dense and silky, offering great persistence. It then closes with juiciness and a touch of savoriness.

VINOUS 94 points
“The 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille smolders with aromas of dried roses and cedar shavings alongside hints of crushed cherries, camphor and exotic spice. This is a model of purity, lifted and graceful, with ripe wild berry fruits guided by cool-toned acidity as hints of sour citrus and saline minerals build toward the close. It leaves the palate drenched in primary concentration and a layer of sweet tannins as violet inner florals and a tinge of tart blackberry fade slowly. The 2020 trades power for elegance and grace.” Eric Guido,

THE WINE ADVOCATE 95 points
“The Pieve Santa Restituta 2020 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille shows sweet tannins and lots of fruit at its core. This wine comes from a single plot of vines on schistic galestro clay soils. Sugarille is well-integrated in terms of its oak and its acidity, and there is enough of both to prop up the fruit and keep the momentum for long cellar aging. There is a succession of purple and blue fruits on the pretty close. Production is 9,000 bottles.” Monica Larner

JAMES SUCKLING 95 points
“Blackberry, tobacco, cedar, dark-earth and walnut aromas follow through to a full body with chewy tannins and a flavorful finish. A little austere at the end. Very structured. Needs three or four years to soften.” James Suckling

JEB DUNNUCK 96 points
"A bright ruby color, the 2020 Brunello Di Montalcino Sugarille was raised in 30- to 60-hectoliter botti for 24 months. It's expressive and layered on opening, with pure aromas of preserved red cherries, anise, delicate oak spice, and red flowers. It takes on more tension through the palate, with a refreshing spine of acidity, fine, angular tannins, and more mineral persistence. It packs in more tension compared to the Renina and has the structure to drink well over the coming 15-20 years if stored properly. While it might not have the same complexity as the 2019, this is going to be worth snapping up." - Audrey Frick

Terms and Conditions

Offer: Subject to availability
Delivery: Mid-2025
Price: Include Freight, Duty & GST
Storage: Free Storage in our facility until 30th April 2026
Allocation: We expect high demand for these wines and this demand may therefore outstrip supply. In such instances we tend to give precedence to those who have bought a particular wine before
Payment: Goods will be invoiced on receipt of order. Payment as per our normal T&Cs
E&OE: Errors & Omissions Excepted