Pieve Santa Restituta
(Gaja) Brunello di Montalcino "Rennina" DOCG 2016 [1.5L]
(Tuscany, Italy) - [JS 97] [JD 96] [WA 95+] [VM 96] [WE 96] [WS 96] [DM 93]

About the Winery:
The story of the Gaja winery can be traced to a singular, founding purpose: to produce original wines with a sense of place which reflect the tradition and culture of those who made it. This philosophy has inspired five generations of impeccable winemaking. It started over 150 years ago when Giovanni Gaja opened a small restaurant in Barbaresco, making wine to complement the food he served. In 1859, he founded the Gaja winery, producing some of the first wine from Piedmont to be bottled and sold outside the region. In 1994, Gaja expanded to new places and acquired its first wine estate in Tuscany, Pieve Santa Restituta in Montalcino

Notes from the Winemaker:
The designation Rennina (rehn-NEE-nah) first appears in the High Middle Ages and is derived from the late-Roman name of the estate, Fundus Rescianum, denoting a state-owned farm. Since the Gaja family's acquisition of the historic estate in 1994, three growing sites have been devoted to the cultivation of Sangiovese Grosso grapes for the production of Brunello di Montalcino: Santo Pietro (St. Peter), Castagno (Chestnut Tree), and Pian dei Cerri (Turkish Oak Flats). Here, lime-rich subsoils, southwest exposure, and ventilation arriving from the Tyrrhenian sea to the west deliver well-balanced Brunello di Montalcino, defined by its characteristic red fruit notes, minerality, and polished tannins.

Tasting Notes

The 2016 Rennina shows sweet aromas of spices, licorice, rosemary, juniper and bark. More intriguing hints rise from the glass a minute later: petals of rose, pomegranate, blueberry, candied, orange, pencil lead and walnut.

It is rich and graceful on the palate, showing a lively freshness, a silky texture, fine-grain tannins and a polished finish.

Ratings & Reviews

97 Points - James Suckling:
"Some much shaved black truffles to the blackberry, walnut and chocolate undertones. It's full-bodied and layered with chewy yet soft tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Smoke, mahogany and wet-earth undertones. Needs three or four years to soften and come together. Best after 2024." (November 2020)

96 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The Rennina is sourced from three different vineyard sites of different exposition. There are playful and fresh aromatics of primary red plum, cherry cola, and fresh Mediterranean herbs. Refined and supple tannins coat the palate with fresh black raspberry fruit, licorice, and dried violets. The 2016 has richness without weight, is well-balanced, and has a luxurious feel. There is an approachability now, though it will be well enjoyed over the next 15 years. 2022-2036." (3/4/2021)

95+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The Pieve Santa Restituta 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina (with 15,000 bottles produced) offers intensity and beautifully concentrated fruit. The bouquet reveals layers of wild cherry, rose, blue flower and candied orange peel. However, if you are expecting a more subdued Rennina, that's not what you get in this classic 2016 vintage. The wine is buzzing with energy and vitality, with a lifted and an especially brilliant set of aromas. You might also detect a hint of fresh peppercorn or coriander seed that gives the wine a veil of the exotic." - Monica Larner (November 2020)

94 Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina is a dark and youthfully understated beauty. A gorgeous display of tobacco and savory herbs gives way to tart cherries, currants, brown spice and earth tones, gaining further richness the longer it spends in the glass. It's seamless, elegant and silky in feel, with layers of ripe red fruit offset by dried citrus, as notes of black tea, licorice, hints of olive and saturating minerals settle in. There's so much going on here; yet beneath its polished elegance, a layer of fine tannins penetrates deeply, making for a dry and structured finale." - Eric Guido (November 2020)

94 Points - Wine Enthusiast:
"Aromas of espresso, clove and licorice mingle with balsamic notes of camphor. Elegantly structured, the focused, linear palate offers dried cherry, blood orange and star anise framed in firm, close-grained tannins that grip the finish. Drink after 2026." - Kerin O'Keefe (5/1/2021) 

94 Points - Wine Spectator:
"A top note of mint graces the cherry, plum and tar flavors in this tightly packed red, which feels balanced overall, despite the strapping tannins, with a lingering, sanguine- and iron-tinged finish. Best from 2025 through 2045. 200 cases imported." - BS (6/30/2021)

93 Points - Decanter Magazine:
"Both of Gaja’s cru Brunello demonstrate the generous warmth and salty breezes of the Tavernelle zone in Montalcino’s central southwest. Rennina, which is assembled from three plots surrounding the church after which the winery is named, is the more extroverted of the two. Still patently young in its structure and fruit, it is vivaciously scented with an explosion of garden herbs, juniper, liquorice and summer berries. Powerful, rich fruit is hemmed in by polished yet copious tannins. Quite a fully charged, boisterous Rennina, this will need some time to tame." - Michaela Morris (3/21/2021)