Pieve Santa Restituta
(Gaja) Brunello di Montalcino "Rennina" 2004
(Tuscany, Italy) - [WE 95] [ST 95] [JD 94] [WA 93] [WS 92]

About the Winery:
Pieve Santa Restituta is GAJA's estate in Montalcino, purchased in 1994. It is the family's first expansion outside the Barbaresco and Barolo areas since its establishment in 1859. Since 1994 several redevelopment works have been carried out in the vineyards to transform the vine growing methods in line with GAJA’s winemaking philosophy. The name of the winery derives from the ancient Pieve (church) situated in the middle of the estate, whose foundations date back to the 4th century AD. The labels chosen for the wines pay tribute to the Pieve and recall the typical colors of the Gaja family, i.e. black and white. Wine has been made here since the 12th century.
Santa Restituta is the patron saint of the island of Ischia, off the coast of Naples, where she was miraculously delivered from her pagan torturers who had planned to kill her at sea.
The labels chosen for the wines pay tribute to the Pieve and recall the typical colors of the Gaja family, the iconic black and white. Pieve Santa Restituta produces three Brunello di Montalcino wines: Rennina, Sugarille and Brunello di Montalcino.
The estate spans 86 acres under vines. Vineyards are located in a particularly privileged position, facing south and southwest, and the estate has an altitude ranging from 1,050 to 1,150 feet above sea level. The hills, of the Eocene age and facing the sea, are characterized by an extremely windy, dry and bright microclimate, preventing damp stagnation and allowing full grape ripening.
Pieve Santa Restituta combines traditional Tuscan winemaking methods with modern techniques to enhance the expression of the Sangiovese grape and the unique terroir of Montalcino.
The wines are typically aged in a mix of new oak casks and older vessels, allowing for both the preservation of fruit character and the development of complex tertiary notes.
The estate pays close attention to vineyard management and the specific characteristics of their vineyards, aiming to express the distinctiveness of the Montalcino terroir in their wines.

Tasting Notes:
Deep red. Very clean, opulent aromas, with notes of ripe red fruits evolving into delicate spice and floral perfumes. Powerful and velvety in flavor with a fleshy and sustained finish and refined tannins.

Technical Information

Grape: 100% Sangiovese Grosso.

Vineyards: Santo Pietro, Castagno, Pian dei Cerri.

Fermentation: 4 weeks in stainless-steel vats.

Aging: 12 months in barrique (first-, second-, and third-passage casks), 12 months in botti (large thirty-year-old casks).

Vineyard notes: 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 tannin.

95 Points & Cellar Selection - Wine Enthusiast:
"This drop-dead gorgeous Brunello (from Angelo Gaja's estate in Montalcino) boasts the beauty and charm of a vineyard that is blossoming with quality and intensity of fruit. You'll get traditional notes of black licorice and cherry liqueur backed by elegant notes of spice and earth." (Jul 2010)

95 Points - Stephen Tanzer:
"Good deep red. Powerful yet elegant nose shows more berries and minerals and less oak than the Sugarille; this is downright Musigny-like. Then silky, suave and graceful on the palate, with compelling inner-mouth floral perfume and a wonderfully pliant texture. If anything, this wine is even more intense on the suavely tannic, extremely long finish than in the middle, as its underlying minerality gives it outstanding grip and finesse. This is made from a blend of sites while Sugarille is from a single vineyard, but it was this wine that spun my head around when I tasted the two bottles side by side." (Jul 2009)

94 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2004 Brunello Di Montalcino Renina is showing a bit more maturity, but as it opens, it begins to take on aromas of black olives, savory toasted rosemary, cedar, truffle, and dried black cherries. It’s full-bodied and ripe, with plush tannins, good evenness on the palate, and a very balanced feel. I really like the palate of this wine in this vintage. It’s likely at its peak of enjoyment, but it’s not going to fall off quickly. (Drink between 2025-2035)." - Audrey Frick (Jan 2025)

93 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The 2004 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina is gorgeous in this vintage. Medium in body, the wine offers up attractive scents of underbrush, red cherries, tobacco, leather and licorice, all of which are framed by silky, ripe tannins. The wine reveals tons of purity and class in an understated style. As is often the case, the Rennina is the more feminine of the estate's Brunellos. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2022. " -Antonio Galloni (Jun 2009)

92 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Aromas of blackberry and dried mushroom follow through to a full body, with silky, refined tannins and a long aftertaste of bright fruit. Juicy and delicious on the intense finish. This has beautiful intensity. Best from 2010 through 2016. 2,200 cases made." - JS (2009)