Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto 2019 magnum i trækasse

James Suckling

Wow. Seductive aromas of slate, violets and black cherries as well as some graphite and cedar. Full-bodied, this has incredible depth, intensity and purity, building on the palate with focused fruit and pronounced tannins. Goes on for minutes. A wine for the long run. Best of the vintage? Try after 2029.

Decanter

At the far eastern limits of the zone, Cerretalto is Casanova di Neri’s coolest site, owing to marked diurnal temperature differences. Fermented in oak and aged in tonneaux, of which 20% is new, this cuvée sees long ageing in bottle and is always released a year after its stablemates in the vintages it is made. Simply breathtaking, the 2019 is a thoroughbred. Intense yet at the same time reticent, the nose simmers with pulverised rocks, graphite, smoke and wild black berries. Sinewy and chiselled in physique, the palate is full of vim and vigour. Dark fruit tones are offset by tangy pomegranate and zesty acidity, and commanding tannins are firm but not hard-edged; they simply need time. Hints of roasted coffee bean and oregano persist.

WinesCritic.com

It is the determined awareness of being that makes this wine an absolute myth, now iconic in style and rare personality. The notes of blackberries, wild myrtle and karkadè clash with citrus tones of bergamot and lime in a vortex of pleasant contrasting sensations. In the background the "heart" notes are told with plums, strawberries and incense. A graphite tone increases its complexity. Full body, perfectly ripe and extracted tannins and a finish that ignites from the center of the palate. It is extremely current, incisive and slender in the extraction of all the components but always remains in the essential track of gustatory balance and smoothness. Plus a savory tone that makes it three-dimensional. Still a perfect wine for the Neri family, worthy of remaining with their feet on the ground day after day and being excited by the work done and what will still be.

Tastingbook.com

Michael Godel

The Cerretalto canyon is this singular Brunello's origin, the place defined by Giacomo Neri as a “plintite,” of quartz, iron and magnesium elements residing next to and bleeding into the four hectare vineyard, which is incidentally a cooler località for Montalcino and very special place. Rare in the world, of an elemental-geological symbiosis found in parts of Australia, Brazil, China and here, in Montalcino. “It’s another planet” insists Giacomo Neri. You will smell blood and flint (a.k.a. gunpowder) because of the mineral personality. This is Brunello di Montalcino from sangiovese something altogether incomparable. A sangiovese wearing the terroir of a Tuscan trough on its sleeve, having spent two and a half years in tonneaux (more or less 20 percent new) and the same amount of time in bottle ahead of its much anticipated release. Yes the aromatics are concerned with trace metals and ingredients of the "canalone" of Torrenieri, but do not sleep on the purity and modernity of red to black fruit, or at least the perception brought forth because of the minerals involved. Sweetness of acidity is classic Casanova di Neri for 2020 but in Cerretalto they are near perfect and the tannins move from those noted out of Tenuta Nuova multiplied by the Giovanni Nero fineness to now enter into the arena of higher love. For the first time this estate’s Brunello di Montalcino should be given an absurd amount of time. Observing it change in the glass over 30 minutes explains much of what is needed to be known. Drink 2028-2043. Tasted November 2024.

Vinous

The 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto is a showstopper, with a bouquet that mixes hauntingly dark florals, black cherries, incense, exotic spices and sweet sage. It seduces the senses with silken textures and ripe wild berry fruit scents, taking on a steady tension as hints of blood orange and an air of violet florals saturate the palate. It finishes structured and impossibly long as a primary concentration lingers, leaving a stain of blackberry and sour cherry, all framed by regal tannins. The balance here is otherworldly. The 2019 Cerretalto displays all of the best attributes of this radiant vintage. Spellbinding.

Robert Parker

The Casanova di Neri 2019 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto (with the black label) opens to medium-plus concentration, dark fruit, ferrous earth and black licorice. You get a lot of detail on the bouquet. This is a big wine with all muscle and no fat. It concludes with smoky barbecue, cola and pressed blue flower. These ethereal aromas appear only after the wine has been in the glass for a while. Rich concentration wraps over the palate but imparts no residual heaviness. This wine has great capacity to age, but I love Cerretalto when its primary fruit is still apparent (10 to 20 years in). Production is 9,700 bottles. The Cerretalto will not be made in 2020.

Vivino

(6097 bedømmelser – gennemsnit over alle årgange. Set d. 31/1 2025)

WinesCritic.com

Exciting to say the least is the main profile of this young Brunello, guascone, swaggering, with every reason to be so. There is really everything in the nose with very fresh notes of cherries, red plums, currants, cassis, pink grapefruit, guarana and crushed almonds. Lemongrass, lime and vetiver give fresh, progressive notes that progressively grow from the background. Medium-full-bodied, biting and “veracious” it shows a full-bodied palate, tannins of a slightly edgy nature and a captivating finish with a remarkable Mediterranean flavour.

Robert Parker

Showing dried blackberry, balsam herb, vapor rub and a hint of charred chili spice, this wine offers an aromatic profile that is very much in line with a vintage that saw cool spring temperatures and a hot summer. The Casanova di Neri 2018 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto is a wine of depth, dusty tannins and a slightly evolved fruit character. I tasted this 2018 Cerretalto next to the estate's new releases from 2019, and the latter vintage certainly offers more overall clarity and crunch. The Neri family does great work with tannin management, and although there is some chalkiness here, the wine's structure is expertly folded into the fruit concentration. Only 9,700 bottles were made.