Cerretalto Brunello di Montalcino, Casanova di Neri 2019 75cl
Cerretalto is Casanova di Neri's crown jewel, and the estate only makes it in the finest years — after its 1981 debut as one of the pioneering single-vineyard Brunellos, the next release didn't come until 1986. The vineyard sits in a natural amphitheatre beside the little Asso river in far-eastern Montalcino, on iron-rich soil that gives the wine its signature graphite and mineral tension.
2019 was an outstanding, classically structured Brunello vintage, and this bottling shows why the wine has a cult following. The fruit was hand-picked in October, macerated for around 32 days, then aged 36 months in oak and a further 24 in bottle before release at 15%.
James Suckling scored it 100 points, calling out seductive aromas of slate, violets and black cherry with graphite and cedar, and a full-bodied palate of incredible depth that builds with focused fruit and pronounced tannins. Vinous gave it 98, describing hauntingly dark florals, black cherry, incense and sweet sage. The through-line everyone notes is that mineral, almost sanguine core the vineyard lends it.
At £380 this is collector-and-connoisseur territory, and it earns the number: a genuinely great single-vineyard Sangiovese from a landmark vintage. It is drinking impressively young but has decades ahead — the smart move is to cellar it into the late 2030s.
How to Serve
Serve at 16 to 17°C. If opening young, decant for two hours or more; better still, leave it in the cellar. Use your largest bowl.
Where to Drink It
Scott's in Mayfair for an occasion this bottle deserves. Wiltons on Jermyn Street for old-school game cookery. The River Cafe for those who know their Tuscan crus.
Food Pairings
Roast venison or a dry-aged rib of beef stand up to its power. Truffle, in almost any form, meets it head-on.
