Wine Advisor
Casanova di Neri, Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova 2021
View analysis
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 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova comes across as more lifted and punchy compared to recent past vintages, showing a brighter fruit profile and added energy. I know that some whole-cluster fruit is used in the Giovanni Neri bottling, and there is a reminiscent aromatic effect on this wine that contributes to its primary freshness. The mouthfeel is medium-rich, and while the wine initially felt reserved, a return to the open bottle revealed a more expressive and harmonious profile, indicating that it benefits from time or a quick double decant. Introduced in the early 1990s, Tenuta Nuova marked a stylistic turning point for the estate, emphasizing precision, ripeness and site expression. The tannins are well managed and elegant, and the freshness arrives with well-judged intensity. Aging takes place for 30 months in tonneaux, rather than large casks, and production stands at 58,800 bottles.
Reviewed by: Eric Guido
Citrus-infused herbal tea, crushed raspberries, pine shavings and incense beguile as the 2021 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova blossoms in the glass. It is surprisingly juicy yet deep and complex, with tart wild berry saturation and nuances of ground clove that add cheek-pinching tension and a balancing tinge of zesty acidity. An array of edgy tannins frames the incredibly long finish, which is spicy and youthfully tense with a blackberry resonance. This is a fascinating vintage for Tenuta Nuova that shows a humbling level of complexity.
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.
