Casanova di Neri ‘Cerretalto’ Brunello di Montalcino 2015

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

After devouring Casanova di Neri’s baseline IrRosso I was determined to try more from this producer. Just at the right time as it turns out with the 2015 Brunello’s in the pipeline!

Having tried an array of 2015 Brunello this should be a fun one to get our laughing gear around!

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.

The 2015 Vintage

Well, well, well! Every year winemakers (… or their marketing team) around the world tell us it’s the vintage of the decade, maybe even the vintage of the century! Every vintage I make wine I call it the vintage of the year determined to take the P.1.S.S. out of all the marketers!

It’s happened again with the 2015 wines of Brunello. James Suckling Top Italian wine for last your was a Brunello, in fact it was his top wine for the WORLD!  Siro Pacenti Brunello di Montalcino Vecchie Vigne 2015. His top 100 wines were dominated by 35 Brunelli! Virtually all were 2015’s with the exception of a couple of Riservas from 2013.

The Rosso di Montalcinos we saw from 2015 certainly support the vintage being a pretty tasty one.

The message is clear BACK THE TRUCK UP!

James Suckling Thoughts on the 2015 Vintage in Brunello

The 2015 vintage is a historical year for Brunello di Montalcino that nobody should miss. The wines show impressive precision of vivid fruit, fine tannins and freshness in acidity despite their ripeness and richness which makes them some of the most exciting in years.

Winemakers in Montalcino were never better prepared to produce outstanding wines in a year like 2015 with their exactness in their vineyards and cellars from fine-tuned canopy management and crop thinning to optical sorting and soft fermentations. So many wine producers in Montalcino made excellent wines in 2015.

‘Depth of fruit and endless length’

My son Jack and I have tasted 187 2015 Brunellos so far this year and the quality is terrific. We rated about half 95 points or more – classic quality. The wines will be officially available in the market beginning in January 2020. But we wanted to give you a preview of the best Brunellos from the vintage, with some already available on a pre-arrival basis from wine merchants.

‘Balance and harmony’

“The words for the 2015 vintage are density, tannins and freshness,” says Roberto Guerrini, whose family owns Eredi Fuligni. He made the wine of his lifetime in 2015. We rated it 100 points. “The wines are rich, yet they are fresh at the same time. It is a great year.”

Where in the World is Casanova di Neri