While the lowest stretch of Sugarille suffered slight frost damage, the rest of this south-facing site was unaffected. In fact, the estate reports 15% more fruit overall in 2021. Quality across the range is also superb, with Sugarille coming out among the top wines of the vintage. Beguiling and precise in aromas of iris root, cedar bark and bergamot, the nose reveals just enough to tempt for now. It is remarkably finessed for all its density and architecture. Layers of clayey tannins are intricately intertwined with concentrated wild forest berries. Stealthy in its power, savoury minerals swirl throughout while pressed blossoms unfold toward the back end. Certainly not ready to drink yet.

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.

(95-98 points) 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.

There’s a fine expression of ripe cherry and blackberry in this red, with its lush texture and vibrant structure keeping everything balanced and fresh. Earth, iron, tobacco and Mediterranean scrub notes chip in to provide added depth. Dense, gripping tannins line the finish. Best from 2030 through 2048. 790 cases made.

96+ 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+ 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.