2008 Brunello di Montalcino Pieve Santa Restituta Sugarille
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Tasting notes
Also tasted at the winery in Montalcino, the 2008 Brunello Di Montalcino Sugarille is a deep red hue and displays more depth, slowly revealing more pure dark-fruited aromas as it unfolds, with notes of black cherry liqueur, rosemary, lavender oil, olive, and polished leather. It's rich, savory, and full-bodied but not heavy, with a generous feel throughout, as well as ripe tannins, and it retains a good deal of freshness. It's showing very well today and has a lot of depth to enjoy now or over the coming 8-10 years.
Critic scores
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2008 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille is also exceptional. Firm tannins support a core of dark, expressive fruit in a wine that impresses for its depth, richness and concentration. Black cherries, tar, licorice, smoke and incense emerge over time as the Sugarille shows its typical brooding personality. Layers of fruit continue to build to the huge, enveloping finish. The Sugarille is another wine clearly built for aging. As is typically the case, the Sugarille is more tannin and vibrant than the Rennina.
The 2008 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille is also exceptional. Firm tannins support a core of dark, expressive fruit in a wine that impresses for its depth, richness and concentration. Black cherries, tar, licorice, smoke and incense emerge over time as the Sugarille shows its typical brooding personality. Layers of fruit continue to build to the huge, enveloping finish. The Sugarille is another wine clearly built for aging. As is typically the case, the Sugarille is more tannin and vibrant than the Rennina. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2026. Leave it to Angelo Gaja and his team to make two of the most impressive Brunellos of the vintage. Both wines are magnificent in 2008. As always, the Rennina is the more floral and feminine of the wines, while the Sugarille is built on a firmer structural core. In the past, the two single-vineyard designate Brunellos have been further away in terms of quality, but in 2008 they are much closer. I suspect that has to do with the introduction of new non-vineyard designate Brunello, a wine I did not taste for this article. The Pieve Santa Restituta Brunellos typically offer considerable early appeal, but they have also proven to age exceptionally well. Importer: Terlato Wines International, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604 8900
Dark, impenetrable ruby and quite youthful looking. Cherry and spice and lots of creamy oak. Very modern and oak driven, but there is some good fruit there. More Bordeaux than Brunello. (WS)
About the producer
Gaja has been at the forefront of the Piedmont wine scene for many years and is Barbaresco’s most decorated producer. The winery has received a record number of Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri awards – the highest accolade from Italy’s leading wine publication.