Wine Advisor
Casanova di Neri, Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto 2007
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Description
Cerretalto is a special blend of intuition, passion and vision – the hallmark of all Casanova di Neri’s work. The grapes hail mainly from a vineyard situated in a natural amphitheatre alongside a small river. The prized white truffles which grow in our private truffle reserve here bear witness to the purity of this environment. Soil rich in minerals, a very particular microclimate and low yield per plant coupled with our experience, dedication and passion for our work in the vineyard and in the cellar make Cerretalto a wine of immense character and harmonious structure. It's a wine of exceptional quality, personality and inimitable style – the perfect expression of the territory that nurtures it, the distillation of our idea of what a great Brunello should be. Cerretalto is a wine of outstanding character. Its uniqueness lies in the aroma’s graphite notes and sanguine undertones, and the extraordinary length and persistence of flavour on the palate. Its collection of accolades is incredible and unmatched: 100/100 Wine Advocate, 100/100 Wine Spectator, 100/100 James Suckling, 100/100 Falstaff, 100/100 Luca Gardini, 100/100 International Wine Report, 100/100 Wine Enthusiast.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Dark raspberry jam, flowers, mint, spices and French oak all burst from the glass as the 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto shows off its personality. Stacked to the core with fruit, the 2007 Cerretalto needs time to lose some of its baby fat, but it is undeniably appealing. The flashy, ripe style of the year comes through loud and clear on the voluptuous, generous finish. Cerretalto remains one of the most distinctive wines in Montalcino.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
(15% alcohol): Bright deep ruby. Deep aromas of redcurrant, camphor, dried flowers and sweet spices. Broad and sweet on entry, but with building vinosity framing the flavors of chocolatey redcurrant, spices, camphor and rose petal. Still youthfully closed today but already quite suave, with complicating flinty minerality. Finishes with serious palate-saturating breadth and big, broad tannins. This might be the first time that I actually liked a young Cerretalto, a wine that in the past was far too full of graphite and other aromas and flavors I don't want in my glass of sangiovese (IWC readers will remember I rated the 2001 only 89 points). Owner Giacomo Neri says the graphite is a characteristic of this particular vineyard, but I am glad to see this quality being expressed to a lesser degree in recent Cerretalto vintages. I'm very glad to report that in the 2007 vintage, Cerretalto is firing on all cylinders.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Dark raspberry jam, flowers, mint, spices and French oak all burst from the glass as the 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto shows off its personality. Stacked to the core with fruit, the 2007 Cerretalto needs time to lose some of its baby fat, but it is undeniably appealing. The flashy, ripe style of the year comes through loud and clear on the voluptuous, generous finish. Cerretalto remains one of the most distinctive wines in Montalcino. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2027. Giacomo Neri is brutally honest in describing 2008 as a challenging vintage marked by significant rain and hail events. Overall production is down 40% across the board. Neri’s 2008s are impressive for the year, however, and are a testament to a grower who is willing to make the hard choices necessary to ensure consistently high quality. Importer: Dalla Terra, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-5405
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
This has always been one of my favorite vintages of this spectacular single-vineyard wine from Montalcino. In fact, I had previously scored the 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto a perfect 100-points before I started working for Robert Parker Wine Advocate. I am tempted to do the same here, save for the fact I have the memory of the 2010 vintage with that super firm and precise elegance so fresh in my mind. This wine is larger, richer and more textured. There is a broader, looser quality to this wine's fruity extraction and composition. This expression has more meat or flesh on those bones. Giacomo Neri does some of his best work in these warm vintages that add so much fruit and balsam-like intensity. The 2007 Cerretalto is drinking beautifully right now, and I have no doubt that it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. It has entered what I believe will be a long and successful drinking plateau.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto is racier and more polished at this stage than the 2006. It boasts superb aromatics, silky tannins and extraordinary textural finesse. I imagine the 2007 will be immensely appealing upon release. Today it is stunning. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2027. Giacomo Neri describes 2007 as a year with a warm spring followed by a cold, dry summer. Neri is one of the few growers who considers 2007 cooler than 2006, showing just how diverse Montalcino is. Temperatures were unusually warm during the spring, but then moderated over a coolish summer that saw very little rain. Acidities are a bit higher in 2007 than 2006. All that said, my tastings of the 2007s reveal them to be silkier and more polished young than the firmer 2006s. Needless to say, it will be fascinating to follow the evolution of both vintages over the coming years. Readers who want to learn more about Casanova di Neri should check out my video interview with Giacomo Neri on www.erobertparker.com Importer: Dalla Terra, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-5405
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
This has always been one of my favorite vintages of this spectacular single-vineyard wine from Montalcino. In fact, I had previously scored the 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto a perfect 100-points before I started working for Robert Parker Wine Advocate. I am tempted to do the same here, save for the fact I have the memory of the 2010 vintage with that super firm and precise elegance so fresh in my mind. This wine is larger, richer and more textured. There is a broader, looser quality to this wine's fruity extraction and composition. This expression has more meat or flesh on those bones. Giacomo Neri does some of his best work in these warm vintages that add so much fruit and balsam-like intensity. The 2007 Cerretalto is drinking beautifully right now, and I have no doubt that it will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. It has entered what I believe will be a long and successful drinking plateau.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Wonderful aromas of dried berries and raspberries with hints of milk chocolate and blueberries. Full body, with velvety tannins and a long delicious finish. Drink now or hold. Wonderful wine as always. Not the intensity of the 2006 but superb for this single vineyard wonder. Try in 2017.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Wonderful aromas of dried berries and raspberries with hints of milk chocolate and blueberries. Full body with velvety tannins and a long, delicious finish. Drink now or hold. Wonderful wine as always. Not the intensity of the 2006 but superb for this single-vineyard wonder. Try in 2017.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto is racier and more polished at this stage than the 2006. It boasts superb aromatics, silky tannins and extraordinary textural finesse. I imagine the 2007 will be immensely appealing upon release. Today it is stunning.
About the Producer
Casanova di Neri is founded by Giovanni Neri, a 48-year-old grain merchant from the town of Montevarchi in the Arno valley south of Florence. Passionate about wine, Neri had long dreamed of making a great Italian red, and although the long-established wine zone of Chianti Classico was just on his doorstep, it was remote Montalcino and its austere Sangiovese wines that fascinated him. Brunello di Montalcino had achieved DOC (controlled origin) status just four years previously, and there were still only around thirty producers in the whole area, compared to more than 250 today. One rural property on the market had caught Neri’s attention during his frequent forays to Montalcino: Podere Casanova, a working farm of around 200 hectares on the eastern side of town. Wine represented only a small part of the farm’s production at the time, and what was made was sold in bulk, but Neri recognized that thanks to its altitude, aspect and soil composition, the place had the potential to make great Brunellos. In May 1971, he bought Podere Casanova, changed its name to Casanova di Neri, and in consultation with some of Tuscany’s leading winemakers, immediately began work to restore the estate’s existing Sangiovese vines and plant new ones.
