Two w/Christmas dinner- Sugarille, Monte Bello

Tasted Tuesday, December 25, 2012 by Anthony Lombardi with 393 views

Introduction

Enjoyed a couple of exciting bottles for Christmas dinner. We served a beef tenderloin roast & all the trimmings. A great meal deserves great wine. Merry Christmas to all.

Flight 1 (2 Notes)

  • 1999 Pieve Santa Restituta (Gaja) Brunello di Montalcino Sugarille

    Italy, Tuscany, Montalcino, Brunello di Montalcino

    Decanted an hour before dinner. Deep, almost pure black core with a ruby rim. The nose is powerful with layers of tobacco, black fruit & a strong black pepper note. This is a big, rich wine, but with enough acidity/brightness to balance out the deep black fruit. This drinks more like Bordeaux than Brunello for me. Everything here is certainly high quality, but it is certainly more International than Sangiovese to my palate. The tannins are absolutely beautiful here, soft & opulent. This takes on weight with air, but never loses the cut of brightness, and while certainly a round mouthfeel, it displays an edge that never goes away. The finish is quite long, and leaves the palate bone dry. A great wine for Christmas Day.

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  • 2004 Ridge Monte Bello

    USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

    Decanted an hour before dinner. Dark maroon core with a lighter ruby rim. The nose is open for business immediately and simply bursts from the glass. Red & black fruits, peppercorns, espresso & a hint of cherry wood. Crazy depth & intensity. I really thought this would be tight as a drum due to the youth. This jumped on the palate with bright blackberries, a rich, nearly creamy texture & some spiciness. The structure stepped in on the mid palate and showed that despite the exuberance, this has decades in front of it. I will say that with the meal, I couldn't have asked for a better wine. This kept adding layers of intensity & bringing you back to the glass for more. Some spicy red fruit emerge on the back of the palate & a dark mocha note floats around throughout. This felt celebratory and completely appropriate for Christmas dinner. I wasn't looking for a competition, but this absolutely crushed the Sugarille.

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