Brunello di Montalcino White Label, Casanova di Neri 2018 75cl

The White Label — Etichetta Bianca — is where Casanova di Neri's Brunello story really begins. It has been made since 1978, the estate's classic multi-vineyard bottling that sits above the Rosso and below the single-vineyard crus like Cerretalto. This 2018 was matured for 42 months in large oak casks, comfortably beyond the five years Brunello demands.

Montalcino's 2018 was a vintage of poise: a spring frost cut yields, and the wines that emerged combined ripe fruit with firm, well-drawn tannins and genuine freshness. That balance is written all over this wine, which is 100% Sangiovese at 14.5%.

On the estate's own reckoning it pours a deep, brilliant red and opens with small berries and a herbal lift of bay leaf, sage and juniper. The palate is the surprise — juicy and elegant at once, structured and long, with what the family fairly calls splendid tannins and a spicy, linear finish. Being so freshly released, it is tightly wound; a little patience or a lot of air pays off.

At £60 this is honest, benchmark Brunello from a top address at a price that undercuts a lot of its neighbours. Drink from 2027 onwards; it will hold and improve well into the late 2030s.

How to Serve

Serve at 16 to 17°C. Give a young bottle one to two hours in a decanter, or lay it down. A large bowl helps the aromatics.

Where to Drink It

The River Cafe for classic Italian dining. Bentley's if you want something rich alongside game. Planque in Haggerston for a more freewheeling wine-led supper.

Food Pairings

Bistecca alla Fiorentina is the textbook match. A plate of wild boar ragù would be no hardship either.