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Gaja - Pieve Santa Restituta

The ancient small church of Santa Restituta originated in the 4th-century A.D., with the current Romanesque model dating from the 1200s, give or take a century. The farm has made wine for centuries, but its first revival was in the early 1970s under Roberto Bellini guidance. The wines of the late '70s and '80s showed promise, as the vineyard is in the prime location of Tavarnelle, southwest of Montalcino, in the same zone as Casse Basse and Caprili. The soils here are primarily sandy clay schists with limestone marl, more rocky than the vineyards towards Torrinieri northeast of Montalcino. The elevation is around 350 meters, making this a warmer zone whose wines are typically quite full, earthy, and firmly textured. In 1992, Angelo Gaja of Piedmont fame bought a controlling interest in the property from Bellini, and commenced to expand the vineyards and improve the vinification. He asked ace Tuscan enologist Attilio Pagli (also consultant to Caprai, Castello Paneretta, Scopetone, Moris Farms, Benessere in Napa Valley, etc.) to oversee the winemaking, with the aid of a Tuscan viticulturalist, Fabbrizio Mottardo, formerly with Frescobaldi. Yields are kept to a moderate 40-45 hectoliters per hectare even in an abundant year like 1994; the single vineyard, Sugarille, is closer to 30 h/h. More important, yield per vine is kept very low, thus ensuring maximum fruit maturity and concentration. Pagli, like Gaja, wants wines that express their terroir yet show the refinement, silkier textures, and grace achieved by more modern practices. Everything is done to maximize extraction of color and fruit without excess; tannins are firm but ripe. New French oak, both barriques and botti is employed, but not exclusively, allowing the fruit and earth notes of the vineyard to dominate. Make no mistake: Pieve's Brunelli are potent wines, but also among the best-balanced in the zone, reflecting both the land and the perfectionist nature of their creator.

From Brunello di Montalcino and Other Red Wines of Tuscany... (Jul 1998) by Joel Butler MW

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1995 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina

Color: Red

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