Description

Red Wine: 2006 | Gaja | Pieve Santa Restituta Sugarille (Magnum)

This very perfumed red evokes flowers, spices and wild underbrush. This is rich and fleshy, boasting plum, licorice, tar and mineral flavors that get a boost from the firm, lively structure.

Order from the Largest & Most Trusted Premium Spirits Marketplace!

Featured in

• ROLLING STONE
• MEN’S JOURNAL
• US WEEKLY

NOTICE: Many other small liquor store sites may end up cancelling your order due to the high demand, unavailability or inaccurate inventory counts. We have partnerships consisting of a large network of licensed retailers from within the United States, Europe and across the world ensuring orders are fulfilled.

Producer: Gaja

Ratings: WA | 95 JS | 95

Vintage: 2006

Size: 1.5L

ABV: 11%

Varietal: Sangiovese

Country/Region: Italy, Tuscany

This very perfumed red evokes flowers, spices and wild underbrush. This is rich and fleshy, boasting plum, licorice, tar and mineral flavors that get a boost from the firm, lively structure. Shows fine density and extract, with a lingering aftertaste.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille is a tighter, darker and ulimtately more inward Brunello than the Rennina. Dark wild cherries, plums, tobacco, licorice, spices and menthol are wrapped around a substantial frame of tannic heft. Ideally the wine needs at least another few years in bottle, but it is impossible to miss the wines fabulous sense of poise and harmony. As always, Sugarille is a Brunello that speaks with a distinctly Piedmontese accent. It is a beautiful wine by any measure.

• James Suckling: Rich and ripe, with dried fruits with hints of black cherries. Flowers too. Full body, with dark chocolate and berry character. Love the firm and velvety tannins. Wonderful finish. Beautiful Brunello from Gaja.

Producer Information

Gaja is one of the best-known wine producers in all of Italy. Originating in and still based in Barbaresco, in northwest Italy, the Gaja name remains most strongly associated with Nebbiolo-based wines, though the company now makes more wine in Tuscany than Piedmont. The business was founded in 1859 by Giovanni Gaja with just two hectares (five acres) of vineyards in Barbaresco. Each generation saw expansion, although Angelo Gaja, who took over full-time in 1970, is often credited with the estate’s more recent success. He was responsible for overseeing sweeping changes in the vineyards and cellars, and introducing the famed single-vineyard Barbaresco wines Sor San Lorenzo, Sor Tildn, and Costa Russi (now Langhe DOC wines). These changes were not always well-received: famously, the name of the Darmagi Cabernet Sauvignon translates as ‘what a pity’, referring to Angelo’s father’s regret over the introduction of Bordeaux varieties. Gaja is famous for having introduced Barbaresco wines to a wider audience and for modernizing Piedmont introducing international grape varieties and winemaking practices more common in Bordeaux or California. However, traditional elements remain, such as long macerations and the use of larger oak barrels (albeit in combination with new barriques). The estate generated significant attention when it began to blend a small amount of Barbera into all but two of its Barbaresco and Barolo wines, relegating them to the Langhe DOC classification. Angelo Gaja insisted this was a traditional practice to correct acidity, and at any rate, the label focused on the vineyard name, rather than the appellation. Gaja’s move beyond Barbaresco started in 1988 with the acquisition of the Sperss vineyard in neighboring Barolo. In 1994, Gaja took over the 27 hectare (67 acre) Pieve Santa Restituta estate in Montalcino, followed by the 118 hectare (290 acre) Ca’ Marcanda estate in Bolgheri. The name of this estate, acquired after protracted negotiations, translates as ‘House of Haggling’. Although Angelo Gaja has never announced his retirement, the company is run in conjunction with daughters Gaia and Rossana.