Wine Advisor
Casanova di Neri, Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova 2012
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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: Monica Larner
The Casanova di Neri 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova is a beautiful wine that recalls many of the stunning characteristics found in its high-scoring predecessor. I gave a perfect 100 points to the 2010 edition of this same wine. This expression, made two years later, continues in that tradition of excellence. The quality of fruit is profound and intense. The bouquet offers black cherry, spice, leather, balsam herb, cola and licorice. The complexity is absolutely impressive. The mouthfeel, however, is slightly thinner. The classic 2010 vintage is remembered for its twofold punch of elegance and power. Alternatively, the 2012 vintage shows aromatic intensity and less persistence on the finish, generally speaking. Having said that, this remains one Bellissimo Brunello.
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
This edition of Casanova di Neri's celebrated single-vineyard wine opens to a luminous garnet color and exuberant fruit aromas. The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova offers a lot to the bouquet, from sweet cherry aromas to savory tones of tobacco and leather. This wine shows a powerful inner motor of flavor concentration and density that propels it forward. All that density and richness wraps thickly over the palate. This is a lasting wine of brawn and muscle.
Reviewed by: Ian d'Agata
Dark bright red-ruby. Deep, complex aromas of red cherry, licorice, graphite and fresh herbs, lifted by a note of white pepper with riper hints coffee and blackberry jam. The flavors are similar to the aromas and have a strong mineral tang that dissipates with aeration. Offers excellent energy and verve and youthfully chewy tannins that will require patience. This is a rare Tenuta Nuova that actually reminds me of Cerretalto, with its darker than usual frut aromas and flavors and hints of graphite. Be aware, that like Casanova di neri’s 2012 classico Brunello, this also benefits greatly from four to five hours in the glass.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Lots of spice, balsamic and ripe-fruit character to this one. Walnut undertones. Full to medium body, a compressed structure of ripe tannins and packed-in fruit. Vibrant finish. Best in 2019.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Very fresh and floral on the nose with rose petals, cherries and hot stones. Medium to full body, linear and fine tannins and a fresh finish. So linear and focused. Wow. Drink in two or three years.
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.
