Pieve Santa Restituta is a well established estate and winery in Montalcino.  It was bought in the early 1990's by Angelo Gaja, one of the most famous winemakers in the Piedmont area of northern Italy.  Although there is no doubt that Gaja's Barbarescos are amongst the finest in the world, many were skeptical when he bought the Pieve Santa Restituta winery in Tusacany.  How could he control quality in wineries so far apart, everybody wondered.  His results with this project have proven now to be an absolute success.  The wines from the early 1990's, such as the 1993 Pieve Santa Restituta Sugarille, had only part of Gaja's fingerprints on them.  The grapes were already grown, harvested, crushed, and barreled when Gaja took over in about 1992.  Since these wines usually spend about four years in the cellar before release, Gaja inherited several vintages of wines created by the previous owner.  The 1993 is such an example.   Gaja did not oversee a growing season and harvest until 1995.  He raised prices substantially at that point, and the pre-1995 wines represent a much better value for the cost-conscious consumer.  The Gaja name is written in very small print on the labels prior to 1995.

The 1993 Brunello Sugarille is a fabulous wine, and has reached full maturity.  The wine is starting to develop brick colors at the edge, but still enjoys a garnet color throughout most of the glass.  The wine has notes of leather, wild cherry, spice box, and tobacco on the nose, with wild cherry carrying onto the palate.  The wine has a vibrant acidity in the finish, with the tannin well subdued at this point.

4 stars

 

What did you think of this article?

Liked
Disliked
No Opinion