Casanova di Neri - Brunello di Montalcino 'Tenuta Nuova' 2019

The legendary Montalcino winery Casanova di Neri was founded in 1971 by Giovanni Neri when he purchased the Casanova di Neri estate in eastern Montalcino. In the early 1990s, his son Giacomo Neri, the current winemaker, took over vineyard management and vinification duties. By that time, the family had already expanded its properties, including the purchase of what is today one of the most renowned vineyards in the Brunello di Montalcino appellation, Cerretalto. Years of hard work and devotion to high quality paid off both in 2006 when the Casanova di Neri 2001 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova was named “Wine of the Year” in the Wine Spectator “Top Hundred Wines of the Year,” and in 2007 when the 2001 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto was awarded 100 points by the magazine. It was only the beginning of a string of perfect scores that the Neri family would receive from both Wine Spectator and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. The wines regularly score in the high 90s. The Neri Family often attributes its success to Montalcino’s unique terroir and microclimates, which are ideal for the production of wines with great depth, longevity, and distinct character. The winery also credits its focus on quality in the vineyards and its tradition of excellence in winemaking.  

The process begins with the manual selection of grapes, followed by destemming using an optical selector. Subsequently, spontaneous fermentation occurs and maceration is facilitated through frequent pressing. All these stages unfold in conical steel vats at a controlled temperature for 24 days. 35 months in oak barrel, 15 months in bottle.

"In my mind, this is the wine that best represents the Casanova di Neri house style. With 30 months of aging in tonneaux, it shows enormous richness and texture, and the stellar fruit quality appears with more primary elegance compared to the more expensive Cerretalto that is released with an extra year of aging. That dynamic is especially pronounced in a comparison of the 2019 and 2018 vintages. The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova has a dark vein of toasted spice, black fruit, ink, blackberry compote, licorice and star anise. Dark as night, it is exceptionally well crafted with a robust delivery of concentrated fruit and solid tannic structure. You can count on excellent cellar potential, or at a minimum, serve it with a classic steak..." - 97 Points, Wine Spectator 

"Black cherries with violets and other flowers on the nose. Full-bodied with chewy tannins and a juicy finish. Needs time to soften. Give it three to five years of bottle age.” - 96 Points, James Suckling

Producer: Casanova di Neri

Country: Italy

Region: Tuscany

Varietal: Sangiovese

Appellation: Brunello di Montalcino

Vintage: 2019

Size: 750ml