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The 2004 Chianti Classico Vigneto Bellavista impresses for its length and gorgeous inner perfume. This understated wine shows the finessed side of Bellavista. Sweet red fruit, flowers, mint and spices wrap around the silky, eternal finish. The 2004 is all about class and personality, both of which it has in spades. The only weak spot for the 2004 is the naturally high yields of the vintage. Still, it seems quite clear the 2004 has a bright future ahead of it. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2029.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 96+ RP(80% sangiovese and 20% malvasia nera; 4.9 g/l total acidity; 3.59 pH; 30.3 g/l dry extract; 13% alcohol; spent 14 months in 40% new oak): Good bright red. Very ripe black cherry complicated by minerals, dark chocolate and spices on the nose; I wanted a bit more freshness. Supple on entry, then richer but less refined than the 2006 in the middle, with a chocolatey ripeness to the creamy black and red fruit flavors. There’s a delicacy to the mid-palate but the finish features substantial ripe tannins that will require patience. A very big, almost fat style of Chianti from Ama: as good as this wine is, I find the 2004 Bellavista to be a little too ripe and chunky for my taste. Hopefully, time in the cellar will help this Bellavista develop more finesse and style. Should be at its best between 2016 and 2024.Vinous Media | 92+ VMImpressive, with lots of blackberry and dark chocolate character and hints of coffee. Full-bodied, with silky and refined tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Best after 2008. 400 cases made, 50 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

Underbrush, new leather, wild herb and dark-skin berry aromas meld with balsamic whiffs of eucalyptus. The full-bodied firmly structured palate evokes raspberry compote, black cherry marinated in spirits, tobacco and star anise set against a backbone of close-grained tannins. This will age for decades. Drink 2023–2043.Wine Enthusiast | 96 WEDeep red-ruby. Delicate aromas of flinty red cherry and herbs complicated by hints of mocha and lifted by a bright violet topnote. Dense, rich and concentrated but light on its feet, offering a very polished mouthfeel thanks to serious but noble tannins that nicely frame the refined, steely red fruit flavors. Finishes long and very elegant. Just like the 2013 Brunello Rennina, this also has 15% alcohol but is so well balanced that you can hardly tell (unlike with the Rennina). Knockout young Brunello from Gaja, one of the very best in memory.Vinous Media | 95+ VMThe 2013 Sugarille is more classic in style than the Rennina yet is still a ripe, sexy beast of a Brunello. Ripe cherries, red currants, spice, and balsamic notes all flow to a concentrated, medium to full-bodied effort that has nicely integrated acidity, solid mid-palate depth, and enough ripe tannins to keep it drinking nicely for 10-15+ years or more. It’s a beautiful wine.Jeb Dunnuck | 95 JDThe single-vineyard 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille has a tighter core and a blacker heart compared to the Rennina. This wine is momentarily more difficult to penetrate and comprehend. It makes a more abrupt first impression but then relaxes and reveals more of its character only after it has spent extra time in your company. Then, it becomes suddenly exuberant and loud. This is a dynamic expression of Sangiovese with bold ripe fruit, spice and balsam notes to carry it forward during cellar aging. This vintage offers firmness and strength. Some 20,000 bottles were produced (of both Sugarille and Rennina, respectively).Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPA mix of sweet plum, cherry, bouillon and graphite aromas and flavors, all backed by a solid structure, this is dense and tightly wound, with terrific balance and a long, focused finish. Best from 2022 through 2036. 400 cases imported.Wine Spectator | 94 WSA very aromatic red. Typical sangiovese aromas of cherry and rose petal with hints of bark. Full body, firm and silky tannins. A racy linear line runs through it. Tight and firm now. Give it two or three years to soften.James Suckling | 94 JS

The Pieve Santa Restituta 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille reveals a finely chiseled quality, with direct and lifted fruit, that gives this wine an angular or delineated personality. This impression is reinforced by delicate mineral notes of crushed stone that fold into dark fruit, sweet plum, black cherry and earthy iris root. The wine is elegant, but it also shows lots of umami or textural deliciousness thanks to the natural ripeness and concentration of the fruit. Give this wine more time in bottle.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97+ RPExtremely perfumed and intense with lilacs, violets, purple fruits and black cherries. Full-bodied and very structured with punchy tannins that give this great length and intensity. This is a great one for the cellar. Try after 2027.James Suckling | 97 JSThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille is dark and youthfully inward, forcing the taster to work with its brooding blend of blackberries, sage and crushed stone. This displays textures of pure silk, polished and refined, with a dense textural wave of tart red and black fruits underscored by saline minerals and exotic spice. Orange notes add contrast through the close as this finishes tannic and long, with a pleasantly chewy sensation and angular tannins that pinch the cheeks. The 2019 is a dark stallion of a Brunello, all muscle and meat, that will take many years of cellaring to show its best. That said, it will be worth the wait.Vinous Media | 96 VMBalsamic aromas of camphor mingle with new leather, cedar, blue flower and underbrush on the brooding 2019 Sugarille. Showing more structure than the Rennina but still endowed with the firm’s hallmark of elegance, it delivers ripe black cherry, blood orange licorice and tobacco framed in tightly-woven, close grained tannins that give it a velvety texture. Drink 2039–2044. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe | 96 KOTo complete Angelo Gaja’s comparison with his Langhe wines, he likens Sugarille to Barolo (as opposed to the Rennina, which he equates with Barbaresco). Powerfully constructed, this will appeal to drinkers seeking a vigorous style of Brunello. Sweet oak spice and plum take on earthy forest undertones. It’s ample and expansive in fruit, yet austere and tight in structure: dark cherry and plum hang off steely, vertical grape tannins. Thicker wood tannins build through the core but crisp acidity offsets the dense structure, and medicinal herbs are tucked into its layers. This becomes increasingly firmer as it sits in the glass, and will need a whole lot of time.Decanter | 95 DEC

Holding back initially, this wine simply needs more time in bottle, and I have adjusted the drinking window accordingly. The 2019 Le Pergole Torte is a long-term proposition showing initial stirrings of tart cherry fruit, plum, licorice, tobacco and crushed stone. There is a pretty floral tone of violet or rosemary flower even now. Winemaking takes this special selection of 100% Sangiovese though cement and Allier and Slavonian oak. The balanced acidity stands out nicely. There are 29,000 bottles of the 2019 vintage, and I recommend you put yours in the cellar for five to 10 more years.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 97 RPThe 2019 Le Pergole Torte is all class and refinement. At the same time, the 2019 is quite reticent at this stage. In this tasting, the Pergole Torte comes across as more refined and aromatically expressive than the Montevertine, with lovely brightness driving the red berry fruit. Elegant and sophisticated, the 2019 is a wine to treasure for the next several decades. Time in the glass brings out the floral upper register and red Sangiovese fruit of Pergole Torte.Vinous Media | 97 VM