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!
The wines will be with us by the end of March ready for immediate shipping.
By all account 2015 has turned out the best Brunello since the 2010 vintage. Given the Rosso di Montalcino’s I’ve tried from 2015 this is no surprise!
Today we offer Casanova di Neri’s two Brunelli. The White Label and Tenuta Nuova.
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
About the Wines
2015 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino
Casanova di Neri proudly produces the White Label Brunello since 1978.
Our passion and love for the land and our own distinctive Sangiovese joined together to make a wine that stands out for elegance, finesse, high quality and long ageing potential.
APPELLATION – Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
GRAPE VARIETY – 100% Sangiovese
There’s beauty and drinkability to this wine that really is enticing with blueberry and cherry aromas, as well as hints of hot stone and licorice. Medium to full body, integrated tannins and a fresh and polished finish. Shows focus and brightness. Very drinkable now, but better in a year or two. Try in 2021.
The Neri family has created a classic expression of Sangiovese from a classic vintage, while remaining faithful to the house style. In a nutshell, these wines always tend to offer dark plum, clove and fig confit over the tiny berry and blue flower aromas you get from the traditionalists. That said, this Brunello needs ample time to open, and I suggest you splash it into the decanter. The Casanova di Neri 2015 Brunello di Montalcino (this is the one with the white label) stays safely within your expectation of the vintage with its variety-driven aromas of wild berry, licorice, blue flower and balsam herb. This wine sees fruit sourced from a vineyard on the northeast side of Montalcino, with Galestro soils ranging from 330 to 480 meters above sea level. Some 95,376 bottles were made. It was bottled in June 2019, and it hit the market in January 2020. You might want more from the aromatics (while you wait for the bouquet to come around), but this wine goes gangbusters in terms of mid-palate and overall texture.
Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova Brunello di Montalcino 2015
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.
APPELLATION – Brunello di Montalcino DOCG
GRAPE VARIETY – 100% Sangiovese
The purity of fruit in this wine really strikes you with black cherries, combined with sage, lavender and rosemary. Extremely aromatic. Full-bodied, yet so tight and polished with incredible tannin structure that gives the wine an endless mouth feel of caressing tannins, acidity and fruit. There’s a fabulous saltiness and oyster-shell undertone to the fruit. Unique. Drinkable already, but this year there’s the structure to last decades.
Giacomo Neri and his family have crafted a wine that impresses from the first sip forward (especially when the wine is given ample time to open). The Casanova di Neri 2015 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova must be treated with patience, and that patience is returned with many great rewards. Blackberry, plum and summer cherry are slowly folded into lasting flavors of spice, leather and beautiful balsam or medical herb. These are always a distinctive signature of this estate. The aromas flow with seamless transitions, and that fluid and ever-changing nature of the bouquet is what helps to build intensity and staying power. Fruit is harvested from a south- and southeast-facing slope at 250 to 300 meters above sea level. The soils are mixed loosely with crushed rock, allowing access to air and moisture. Indeed, pretty mineral accents appear as the wine takes on more air in the glass. What stands out most in this Brunello is the quality of the bouquet that is rigid and firm, yet not excessively so. You feel the structural texture of the wine as it sits firmly over the palate, yet there is mobility and softness to its many moving parts. I tasted this wine at various intervals over a 24-hour period.
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