Wine Advisor
Casanova di Neri, Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto 2015
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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 2015 is one of Cerretalto's truly great years. The colour is rich and intense. The bouquet reveals itself gradually, with insistent graphite notes accompanied by a concerto of red berries, liquorice and chocolate. Lastly, fresh, bright tones come through, followed by balsamic, minty undertones. But it's on the palate that Cerretalto 2015 reveals all its personality – a perfect balance between extraordinary tensile strength and aromatic precision. An exceptional web of tannins – dense and velvety – blends with an acidity which is palpable but well integrated. The experience culminates with in a sensation of great purity, density and depth. All these factors augur a very long life for Cerretalto 2015. Vintage Notes The 2015 vintage will go down in history as a textbook year. The winter was mainly mild, with temperatures within the norm and considerable rainfall in January and February. Bud break occurred in the second week of April. Through the second half of April and the whole of May sunny days alternated with abundant showers, resulting in a regular growth cycle, excellent water levels in the soil and a healthy flowering period which concluded right at the end of May. In June and July temperatures were slightly above average. Showers in the second week of August brought temperatures down and greatly aided ripening. The diurnal temperature range was considerable in August and September, leading to an almost perfect balance of acidity, tannins and sugar.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
Of these new releases from this benchmark estate, the Casanova di Neri 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto is my favorite wine. This Riserva is larger than life with ripe fruit, raspberry, cherry, spice, cola, root beer, mesquite and cedar. The wine offers a flashy and generous quality of fruit that unfolds over time with a multifaceted and multi-layered presentation. One thing that stands out here is the acidity that is bracing and tart at first but then succumbs to an important supporting role, rendering lasting freshness and persistence to the finish. With time, you get a flash of cherry and crème de cassis that seals the deal.
Reviewed by: Eric Guido
The 2015 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto is remarkably fresh and balanced despite its large-scale persona. Minty herbs give way to raspberry and cherry with exotic spices and a hint of pine resin. It boasts depths of silky textures; yet it remains juicy and full of energy, displaying ripe red and black fruits, laced with salty minerals, as hints of cinnamon and baker’s chocolate form toward the close. Fine tannins come forward on the finish, tugging at the cheeks, yet all under an air of sweet spice and violet florals. As young as this is today, it’s hard to put the glass down, and I can only imagine the depths that will be revealed with five or more years of cellaring.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This is a momentous wine with incredible power and structure that has so much minerality and crushed-stone character to the black cherries and blueberries. Full-bodied and tannic, yet the tannins are layered and polished with a glorious, creamy and juicy texture that coats your mouth. It goes on for minutes. Incredible wine. Try after 2025.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
The density and energy to this Brunello lives up to its reputation, with superb depth and polish, showing terrific plum, blackberry and crushed-stone character. Slate and white pepper, too, as well as subtle rust and wrought iron. The finish goes on for minutes, yet it’s so deep and complete. A truly great wine. Drinkable now, but will go on for ever.
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.
