Wine Advisor
Casanova di Neri, Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova 2006
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Description
Tenuta Nuova is a pioneering and visionary vineyard project emboding the belief and passion of Casanova di Neri. Tenuta Nuova means new property; Tenuta Nuova is a place where nobody planted Sangiovese before; Tenuta Nuova is the will of Casanova di Neri to produce a powerful yet drinkable Brunello with a high ageing potential. The project began with the study of varied local microclimates and their optimal exposures. Through a cautious and passionate research Casanova di Neri has used the most sophisticated scientific investigations to determine the clones, rootstocks, cultivation practices, plant density per hectare and every possible particular to obtain excellent Sangiovese grapes.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova is an explosive, heady wine endowed with considerable richness in its dark wild cherries, licorice, tobacco, herbs and cedar. This generous, exuberant Brunello shows awesome depth and richness in a style that captures the essence of the warmth of the southern reaches of Montalcino. The Tenuta Nuova dazzles with its stunning depth, textural polish and captivating, sensual personality. A round, inviting finish has the last say in this majestic Brunello. The 2006 is easily the best vintage I have tasted of the Tenuta Nuova. The harvest took place between September 29 and October 7. Maceration and fermentation lasted 25 days, after which the wine was racked into 600-liter barrels for 36 months. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2026. My visit with Giacomo Neri was fascinating. I had the opportunity to taste a number of fabulous wines, but the bottle that left the deepest impression on me was the 1981 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. Though not explicitly identified as such, the 1981 Riserva was the first wine the estate made from the Cerretalto vineyard. The wine spent a full six years in cask, yet remains fresh and striking today, despite the average (at best) quality of the vintage. Most interesting of all is that the house’s trademark richness was already in place years before Giacomo Neri took over wine making duties from his father. Importer: Dalla Terra, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 259-5405
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
I tried this wine from two bottles and this review is based on the second sample. The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova soars high and far with abundant and beautifully intense aromas. The bouquet presents a very precise and focused nature with black fruit surrounded by pressed rose petal, dried violets and campfire ash. In the mouth, the wine is precise and focused. All these qualities help fuel a sense of length and balance.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2006 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova, with its warm, resonant fruit, was a crowd favorite. And no wonder. It was dark, beautiful and highly suggestive of the southern reaches of Montalcino, where the climate and vegetation show distinctly Mediterranean influences.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2006 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova is an explosive, heady wine endowed with considerable richness in its dark wild cherries, licorice, tobacco, herbs and cedar. This generous, exuberant Brunello shows awesome depth and richness in a style that captures the warmth of the southern reaches of Montalcino. The Tenuta Nuova dazzles with its stunning depth, textural polish and captivating, sensual personality. A round, inviting finish has the last say in this majestic Brunello. The 2006 is easily the best vintage I have tasted of the Tenuta Nuova. The harvest took place between September 29 and October 7. Maceration and fermentation lasted 25 days, after which the wine was racked into 600-liter barrels for 36 months.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Medium red-ruby. Initially less expressive than the classico, hinting at licorice and smoky oak, but enticing blackberry and violet scents emerged with air. Concentrated, powerful and very firmly built, with a brooding medicinal reserve to the dark fruit flavors. Wonderfully sweet wine with an insidiously suave texture. Finishes very long, with tannins coating the front teeth without coming across as dry or harsh. This distinctly muscular Brunello should evolve slowly.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
What a nose on this. I love the complexity and subtlety in this. Flowers mingle with dark fruits and minerals. Full bodied and dense with great purity of fruit and wonderful length. So much going on here.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Davvero sorprendente la quantità di frutti neri maturi, con ribes e uva sultanina, il tutto però di grande freschezza e pulizia. Bacche scure, anche. Un carattere incredibile da Sangiovese maturo. Corpo pieno, con strati e strati di frutto e tannini masticabili. In più, esibisce bacche essiccate e liquirizia nera. Chiede tempo per ammorbidirsi. Che bottiglia! Alla fine, sarà meglio del Tenuta Nuova 2001? Sì. Da bere dopo il 2013.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
So much ripe fruit here with currants and sultanas, yet fresh and very clean. Dark berries too. Incredible ripe Sangiovese character. Full body, with masses of fruit and chewy tan nins. Plus, there’s black licorice and dried berries. Give it time to soften. What a bottle. Will it ultimately be better than 2001 Tenuta Nuova? Yes. Best after 2013.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This remains a perfect wine with such depth, intensity and incredible structure. Full body and powerful tannins. Yet, there is so much fruit and flavor. A kaleidoscope of flavors such as wet earth, blackberries, black tea, cigar box and earth. A different level. Drinkable now, but it’s one in the cellar for a long time. Why wait?
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.
