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This wine is a star of the vintage. It is made with fruit from vines planted in 1968 in ancient soils rich in quartz at a very high 600 meters in elevation. The Le Ragnaie 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Ragnaie V. V. (the initials stand for “vecchie vigne,” or "old vines") reveals a soulful personality with a very elegant set of aromas and compelling complexity. There is heritage rose, lilac and something earthy like tarragon or marjoram. Underripe cherry and redcurrant are found at the core; however, that ethereal herbal note continues to the palate where it meets a chalky mineral tone. Powdery tannins stick to the side of your mouth for a very long time. Only 4,400 bottles were made.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 99 RPA similar medium red color, the 2019 Brunello Di Montalcino Ragnaie V.V. is another showstopper, with stunning floral and layered aromas of licorice, ripe red cherries, blood orange, and clove. Mouthwatering and structured, this is a noble wine, and while it’s medium-bodied. It’s not for the faint of heart. With ripe, angular tannins that frame this wine, it propels through the palate with notes of saline and vibrant acidity. Long and tension-packed, it demands several years of proper cellaring and feels as though it will improve over the coming two decades at a glacial pace. Drink 2027-2047.Jeb Dunnuck | 98 JDOwner Riccardo Campinoti reports that the 2019 harvest was slightly early by the estate’s standards: he picked his 50-plus-year-old vines on 4 October, giving the must a long maceration of 45-50 days. After seven months in bottle, it demonstrates the same precision and minerality that were evident in cask. Currently somewhat stern, it’s intriguing in its reticence. Through iron and warm stone nuances, black raspberry pokes through. This will never be a big, rich wine, yet as the dense layers unfold and those chalky tannins relax their grip, its enveloping nature will provide much pleasure.Decanter | 96 DECThe 2019 Brunello di Montalcino VV is youthfully coy in the glass, lifting up with a nuanced blend of dried roses, licorice and clove, excited by hints of spiced oranges. This is cool-toned and saline in character, with silken textures contrasted by crisp red fruits and salty mineral tones that saturate the senses. The 2019 finishes long, primary and with crunchy tannins, yet there are depths of complexity here just waiting to unfold. This is quite forbidding today, yet in five to ten years, I expect a magical experience.Vinous Media | 95+ VM

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