Since founding his winery in 1971, no one has made as great a case for modernized Brunello as Giacomo Neri. For a historic wine with roots in the 16th century, the last decades were turbulent for Brunello. Demand pushed producers to plant heavily in less suitable subzones, new oak use was getting out of control, and by 2003, even top producers were caught passing off Merlot in their wines. Not distracted by the noise, Neri spent those years honing his meticulous and bold winemaking. He's known for his polished style, decorating Sangiovese's rustic sour cherry with intoxicatingly fragrant notes of vanilla and crushed clove. While he's no stranger to oak, his style is not the one size fits all Brunello au barrique approach seen elsewhere in Montalcino. Neri's weapon of choice is the 500L tonneaux, with toast level and timing matched to the structure of the fruit. 

His entry-level "White Label" spends 43 months in wood, adding opulence to the tight acid core of fruit from Neri's coolest vineyards. Tenuta Nuova and Cerretalto both dial back the barrel ageing to three years, letting each single vineyard expression shine through. Tenuta Nuova comes from rocky galestro soil south of Montalcino. It's structured and supremely age-worthy, highlighting Sanigovese' savory herbal streak. The Cerretalto is sourced from old vines in an amphitheater along the Asso river. The slope's extra sunlight compensates for the site's cool nights, giving ripe tannins with electric acid and distinctively high-toned floral notes. James Suckling is already calling 2015 & 2016 the "best vintages ever" in Montalcino and gave the 2015 Cerretalto a rare 100 point rating. These are some of the most beautiful and hedonistically and licentious wines we've seen out of Montalcino, must-tries for any Italian wine lover.

97+ Points Monica Larner of Wine Advocate:  "This is one of my sweetheart wines from Montalcino. The Casanova di Neri 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova offers a long list of aromas on an ever-shifting and fluid bouquet. You get bright cherry, rose potpourri, black truffle, caramel, butterscotch, sandalwood, road pavement and chalky mineral. In fact, each time I come back to this wine, that mineral element seemed to grow in intensity and scope. The wine offers a grounded fruit side that is contrasted nicely against a grounded oak component. The mouthfeel is creamy and long, and the wine shows terrific tannic integration. When you come back hours later, you might find black olive, bresaola and licorice.