Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino 2019

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Casanova di Neri

Founded in 1971 by Giovanni Neri who with his great vision and passion understood the huge potential of wine in the Montalcino territory, it was passed on to his son Giacomo in 1991.
Casanova di Neri does in fact stands for the Casanova Estate of the Neri Family.

The production started in the Eastern part of Montalcino and was extended later in other areas.

First came the Cerretalto vineyard, a unique terroir in a natural amphitheatre over the Asso river in which the old vines produced a Sangiovese different from the others, with small bunches of well distanced grapes, from which a selective variety was grown that was used in out other vineyards particularly in Tenuta Nuova.

The acquisition of Cerretalto was followed by that of Le Cetine, Pietradonice and then Podernovo. All this by researching the best soil and exposures so as to produce unique and recognizable wines.

The first Brunello harvest was 1978. This was followed by Cerretalto1981, Rosso di Montalcino 1982, Tenuta Nuova 1993, Pietradonice 2000, IrRosso di Casanova di Neri and the last one Ibbianco 2011.

Currently the estate covers a surface of around 500 hectares of which 63 are vineyards, 20 olive groves and the rest arable land and forest.

The Casanova di Neri Philosophy

We believe that wines are the fruit of the vineyard and of man’s labour.

The care and passion in working the land has to take into account the characteristics of the land, the microclimate and the variety so as to produce a unique distinct wine able to express its territory. For over forty years our evolution has been marked by careful targeted choices that have distinguished our estate and the wines we produce creating their own style.

A constant search for particular soils that exalt the quality and uniqueness of our wines and farming practices that respect the land and the vines are followed by attentive care in the making of the wine. Our wines are the fruit of exceptional combinations of soils and microclimates together with passionate and meticulous work enabling us to obtain constant results and to enhance the distinct features of the grapes throughout the different vintages.

In the Vineyard

The family holds 63 hectares of vineyards across 7 sites in Fiesole, Poderuccio, Podernuovo, Le Cetine, Pietradonice, Cerretalto and Spereta, all of them in different parts of the territory of Montalcino.

The diversity of their soils, exposures, microclimates and of the ages of the vines creates the identity of our wines.

Casanova di Neri used selection massale to choose Sangiovese Grosso vines from their Cerretalto vineyard to reproduce and plant on the various sites.

In the Winery

Roughly 36-42 in barrel before 6 month minimum in bottle.

The winery is mostly underground, facing north and with a natural room temperature without having to resort to air conditioning.

It was planned following a rational design that supports our production principles of low impact and natural processes. The structure is on three levels so as to take advantage of gravity. The mission to respect the quality of the grapes and enhance the characteristics of the different grapes and above all of the different vineyards that they come from. Before the vinification the grapes are sorted out on a selection belt after which they are de-stemmed and passed on to a further selection belt where we choose the best grapes that fall by gravity into the vats.

A spontaneus fermentation without the addition of artificial yeast takes places in open conical stainless steel vats with controlled temperature and no pumps, which allows us to have a maximum regard for the quality of the grapes and enables the extraction of only the best tannins, preserving the colour and fragrance. The Brunello sees about 24 days on skins. This particular care and attention to quality is the least we can do after our meticulous work in the vineyards. This is followed by the aging for 36-42 months in two ample barrel rooms on two different levels again using gravity to our advantage.

After bottling, the wines are aged in bottles for at least 6months.

Vintage 2019 in Montalcino

The current releases from Montalcino are an embarrassment of riches for collectors and fans of the appellation. … classic 2019 Brunellos, the high-energy and fruit-forward 2021 Rossos.

…this is a year where the entire region excelled, from southwest to east and northeast to west. Frankly stated, finding a 2019 that doesn’t show remarkable balance, vivid fruit and freshness is a difficult task. In my opinion, this is always a mark of a great year. The highs are exceptionally high, and the lows are few and far between. What’s more, this is a year where many lesser wines excelled, making picking out a 2019 Brunello a relatively easy affair.

This is a vintage of radiance and appeal without any sensation of over-ripeness or lack of complexity. The wines are aromatically intense and full of dimension, with translucent color, fruit typicity and the ability to communicate a sense of place. They are structured and built for cellaring, often showing their best after being open for over two days in bottle. The terms classic, racy, cool-toned, crunchy and sleek litter my tasting notes, and while many 2019s display an inviting personality today, they are balanced for the cellar and sure to mature beautifully over the next ten to fifteen years, if not more. This is the vintage we’ve all been waiting for. 

Eric Guido, Vinous

2019 ranks close to 2016 in terms of overall excellence…

What struck me most about this vintage is what I perceive as the possible beginning, or distant stirrings, of a new identity. It’s too early to call it a “new wave,” or “nouvelle vague” in French, but cinephiles might recognize certain patterns, a desire for experimentation and a spirit of iconoclasm.

I’m referring to the increasingly tight-knit group of artisanal winemakers like Il Marroneto, Le Chiuse, Le Ragnaie, Pian dell’Orino, Poggio di Sotto, Salicutti and Stella di Campalto, who are independently but simultaneously pushing the bar higher. Their work builds upon the timeless classics created by Biondi-Santi, Cerbaiona, Soldera and Salvioni.

A common remark from vintners was how uniformly easy 2019 fruit was to farm and ferment.

Elevation is one of the most talked about issues in the appellation today. Appellation guidelines once fixed the ceiling for Brunello di Montalcino at 600 meters above sea level, but that was recently raised to 650 meters. The highest point, the Passo del Lume Spento, sits at 621 meters in elevation. There has been a rush of important investments recently in these higher and cooler areas.

The generic 2019 flavor profile sees lots of dark fruit without excessive ripeness. There is good balance between acidity, concentration and tannins, which feel elegantly fine-grained and sometimes chalky.

The 2019s are also distinguished by more concentration and fruit weight that remains balanced and elegant.”

Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate

“The 2019 vintage finally gave us all reason to exhale because we harvested with perfect ripeness and without worrying too much about fruit selection. Everyone around Montalcino threw big harvest parties to sing and celebrate the extraordinary quality of fruit,”

“Fruit from 2019 showed elegance coming into the winery. This vintage was born elegant.”

Alessandro Mori, Il Marroneto

Where in the World is Casanova di Neri