2010 Gaja Pieve Santa Restituta Brunello di Montalcino Rennina

Ripe black cherry with nutty, malty notes (too much oak?). Dominates the palate too, but the fruit concentration and bags of coating tannins make for a long, intense finish. (WS)

The 2010 Brunello di Montalcino Rennina is distinctly powerful and savory in this vintage. Iron, smoke and tobacco open up in a wine that is constantly changing in the glass. Initially quite reticent, the 2010 blossoms with air as the aromatics release and the tannins start to soften. There is a lot going on in this striking, highly nuanced Brunello from the Gaja family. If opened young, the 2010 needs a lot of air. I would be tempted to cellar the 2010 for at least a few years given the personality of the vintage and the wine's track record for evolution in bottle.

An outstanding surprise, the 2010 Brunello di Montalcino is a monumental wine. The Rennina single vineyard is said to be more feminine compared to the bolder fruit sourced in the nearby Sugarille cru. But in the 2010 vintage, you definitely get a compelling sense of power, density and extraction. What distinguishes the wine is the delicate mineral signature that appears through the thick texture of the fruit. It's like background music that gives cozy ambiance to an elaborately furnished ballroom. I consider the 2010 Rennina a masterpiece and, again, I just don't know how Angelo Gaja does it. He is the winemaker with the Midas touch. Truth be told, the wine does lack territory-driven typicity. But it's just so darn good, it hardly matters. It will continue its evolution for 10-20 years. Congratulations.