13/02/2026 - 2021 Gaja Brunello - “There is something magical about the 2021 Brunellos” (Eric Guido, Vinous)

I am pleased to offer the latest release of the Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino 2021’s: Brunello di Montalcino, Rennina, and Sugarille.  

This is a very exciting release from Pieve Santa Restituta and the best we’ve tasted since the 2016 release. Exceptional weather gave purity, structure and complexity few vintages match. Elegant, powerful, precise.

Eric Guido of vinous.com says of the vintage; “One vintage that has truly proven itself is 2021. There is something magical about the 2021 Brunellos. The wines offer both near-term appeal and the balance to mature over the next 15 to 20 years. These are structured, youthfully tense wines, but it’s not difficult to find pleasure in them today.”

For the first time the village Brunello has been tasted and scored by the critics and has been given great scores by JamesSuckling.com, Vinous and Wine Advocate gaining scores of 96, 94 and 93 respectively; welcome recognition for this consistently brilliant wine. 

2021 Brunello di Montalcino

£270 IB per 6x75

£275 IB per 12x37.5cl

£305 IB per 3x150cl

The estates Brunello was first produced in 2005 and is comprised of fruit from Sugarille, Rennina, and the family’s other vineyard in Torrenieri (in the north-east of the Montalcino area). The soils in Rennina and Sugarille are generally clay-calcerous with lots of galestro, the soils in Torrenieri are clay, silt and sand. Each of the vineyards undergo sperate maceration, fermentation and ageing for 24 months in oak, followed by careful blending. The final wine is then aged for a further 6 months in concrete prior to bottling.

“A restrained wine with a graceful nose of subtle red cherries, wild strawberries, sweet violets and complex earth and tamarind. Full-bodied with licorice flavors, a dense mid-palate and velvety tannins that are powerful yet ripe. Slightly lifted acidity and a long, chewy finish. Drinkable now, but best from 2027.” 

96 pts, Aldo Fiordelli, James Suckling, Dec 25

“The 2021 Brunello di Montalcino wafts up with heavenly perfumes as geraniums, bergamot and rose petals mix with lavender and exotic spice. It is lifted and sleek with cool-toned acidity and tart red and blue fruits flowing beneath an air of violet inner florals. The finish has saturating tension, mixing fine-grained tannins with graphite mineral tones and citrus, while hints of sour cherry pinch at the cheeks.” 

94 pts, Eric Guido, Vinous, Nov 25

"Packaged with a gold label, the Pieve Santa Restituta 2021 Brunello di Montalcino marks the return of a wine I personally have not seen in years. In truth, this wine has been produced since 2005, the year the Gaja family acquired a vineyard in the Torrenieri area in the northern part of the appellation where clay-rich soils with high water retention create powerful wines with softer acidity. Fruit from that vineyard was blended with grapes from the Rennina and Sugarille vineyards. However, this wine has recently seen the inclusion of fruit from two new plots, Bolsignano and Villa a Tolli, that bring acidity freshness and mineral tension. The wine presents a medium- to full-bodied texture with notes of dried fruit, cassis, tarry smoke and savory leather. It is lean on the mid-palate yet long and polished. Tight-edged tannins suggest the need for additional bottle aging, a profile consistent with a traditionally structured Brunello. This is a release of 90,000 bottles."

93pts, Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Jan 26

2021 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina

£715 IB per 6x75

£295 IB per 1x150cl

£615 IB per 1x300cl

First produced in 1990 (and by Gaja in 1994), this is a blend of three non-adjacent vineyards surround the church in Rennina. The vineyards are south-west facing and the soils are composed mainly of sand, silt and clay. Rennina is often characterised as the more tannic, earthy, savoury and structured of the two single vineyard offerings.   

“A complex and minerally wine with aromas of crushed stones, graphite, red cherries, licorice, dried flowers and aromatic herbs. Full-bodied, tense and crisp on the palate, with firm, velvety tannins and a juicy, chalky yet ripe finish with fruity and gamy flavors. Best from 2028.” 

96 pts, Aldo Fiordelli, James Suckling, Dec 25

“Currently resting in concrete, the 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino Renina is a jeweled ruby hue and offers aromatics that are compact and pure with liqueur of red cherries. It's more consistent on the palate, with ripe tannins, seamless acidity, crystalline freshness, and a very even and long finish, but it's not lacking for ripeness. I predict this will be a very successful vintage for this wine, which is more similar to 2019 in terms of its more noble structure.” 

95-97 pts, Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, Jan 25

“The 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina boasts a dark ruby hue and a bouquet of crushed blackberries, dusty sage, talc, nuances of mint and orange zest. It's racy with bright acidity and crisp wild berry fruits that slowly saturate the senses, further enhanced by an array of grippy tannins. This Brunello finishes with excellent length and heroic structure, leaving a cascade of inner florals and subtle licorice twang.” 

95 pts, Eric Guido, Vinous, Nov 25

"The Pieve Santa Restituta 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina delivers power and a full-bodied style shaped by a warm vintage and carefully calibrated oak aging under the Gaja family’s expert hand. It shows notable volume and texture, with an open-knit feel that reveals black fruit and spice on the close. Tightly wound at present, it requires more time to age and fully integrate its elements. This is a production of 14,400 bottles. This vintage aside, Rennina is usually seen as the more finessed sibling to the more powerful Sugarille. Rennina represents a blend of fruit from three sites: Pian dei Cerri, with red sandy soils for tannic structure; Castagno Vecchio, with deep, lose soils for refined perfumes; and Santo Pietro, with clay and fossil-rich soils that add mineral complexity.

95pts, Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Jan 26

Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille

£795 IB per 6x75

£320 IB per 1x150cl

£680 IB per 1x300cl

First produced in 1990 (and by Gaja in 1995), this is a single south facing vineyard of just 4.5 hectares, mainly consisting of clay and limestone supplemented with galestro (a rocky soil composed of clay and schist). Sugarille is often the more approachable and delicate of the two single vineyards.

“A sleek and graceful wine with aromas of Parma violets, licorice, red fruit and a touch of mint. Full-bodied, it shows elegant tannins with freshness and well-tamed power. Amazing length, with a polished cherry pit aftertaste. Drinkable now, but intended for aging. Drink or hold.” 

98 pts, Aldo Fiordelli, James Suckling, Dec 25

“The 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille bursts from the glass with masses of thyme, incense, rosemary and cedar before giving way to dried strawberries. It presents a subtle inner sweetness and elegant texture, coming across as weighty yet refined, with polished red berry fruits swirling throughout and leaving a bitter licorice tinge to linger on the palate. A complex web of fine-grained tannins flexes on the palate as a tart wild berry saturation lingers incredibly long. The 2021 is youthfully dense and tightly wound today, with the balance for a long and glorious evolution.” 

96+ pts, Eric Guido, Vinous, Nov 25

"A layered and complex expression, the Pieve Santa Restituta 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille combines dark fruit and oak with a deep plummy core accented by delicate hints of exotic spice. A precise mineral line runs through the wine and leads to fine, powdery tannins. The overall profile remains tightly wound at this young stage and will benefit from time to settle into a more integrated and complete expression. Sugarille is known to make wines with a subtle sweet-edged richness and supple yet structured tannins, shaped by soils rich in galestro and white clay that lend both age-worthy structure and mineral complexity. Production totals 9,500 bottles."

96+pts, Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, Jan 26

“The 2021 Brunello Di Montalcino Sugarille was also resting in concrete when I tasted it in November of 2024. (The blend was completed in July.) It displays a darker red color and is deeper and more layered on the nose, with darker cherry fruit liqueur, sappy herbs, and fresh earth. It's juicy and ripe at this early stage, with very nice balance, ripe tannins, a full, rounded feel, and a deeper mineral richness.” 

95-98 pts, Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, Jan 25

Vintage 2021 

The 2021 vintage was notably dry, with less rainfall than the seasonal average. The vintage was characterised by a rainy winter with average temperatures, followed by a dry and cold spring and one of the most drastic summers of the last decade, when the average temperature rose from 16 °C in June to 26 °C in July, which, together with the warmth in August, brought the grapes to full ripeness. Our harvest began on the 15th of September, and ended on the 30th of September. Despite the slow start, the considerable frost damage and the persistent drought during the summer, the cooler temperatures during the summer helped the grapes to reach full ripeness, achieving good quantities and also providing very good quality overall. The clusters were in excellent health due to the dry climate and showed no signs of skin burn, as summer temperatures were hot but never extreme. Fermentations progressed very slowly but finished well. The wines have elegant tannins, high acidity and average alcohol content, showing intriguing floral and citrus notes that are characteristic of this vintage. 

In the 1990’s Gaja had made the decision that they wanted to make their mark in the Montalcino area, and following an extensive search the family completed their purchase of Pieve Santa Restituta winery in 1994 with its 27 hectares of vineyards. The name of the estate comes from the 4th Century church located on the property and is testament to the importance of the history of this very special place.   

The Gaja family have since redeveloped the vineyards to sit in-line with their philosophy of prioritising nature, with the absence of chemicals and pesticides and promotion of soil health through composting. They also undertook a winery renovation project, which was re-designed to have minimal impact on its surroundings and as such is largely underground. The winery itself is state of the art inside in order to allow for optimal winemaking and minimal impact on the environment.  

The Gaja family have chosen not to produce Brunello Riserva. This is to focus on minimising time in barrel to preserve freshness and vitality, something that the Riserva requirements would contradict.

• Offered subject to final confirmation, E&OE
• Shipping in May/June 2026
• Free delivery on orders over £500 ex vat, otherwise charged at cost.

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