Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto 2013 750ml

This intense version is concentrated, with black cherry, blackberry, graphite, tobacco and spice flavors, yet remains light-footed due to the racy profile. Structured, yet beautifully balanced and youthful. Shows purity and length on the aftertaste, which introduces a floral component. Best from 2022 through 2045. 814 cases made, 150 cases imported.

There are a handful of wines in Italy that make me nervous before I taste them because my expectations are so high. This is one of those wines. Indeed, previous editions of Cerretalto have earned the coveted 100 point score, and I am astutely aware of the pedigree and potential that comes forth with each new vintage. As enthusiastic as my assessment of the 2013 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto is, I'm stopping short of that perfect score. This vintage is something of a moving target with wines that are beautiful, without a doubt, yet the growing conditions were not even across the appellation, and achieving optimal tannic management posed a challenge to many producers. If I were to make any criticism of this wine, it would fall along those lines. That aside, this is a beautiful Brunello that boasts deep intensity and bold black fruit flavors that are plummy and rich. Spice, toasted oak and tobacco frame that primary fruit. Cerretalto ages in oak for 30 months and that strong imprint has added to the structure, depth and contemporary character of this A-list Brunello. That oak imprint is also reinforced in the wine's tannins. There's no doubt that this wine needs more cellar aging. I would absolutely not suggest drinking it within the next five years. Any awkwardness it shows now should iron itself out with more bottle time. Only 9,771 bottles were made.

There’s a lot in this wine, in terms of complexity, that is all underpinned by concentrated, ripe and assertive red cherries. The oak is nicely placed and there’s a sense of purpose and build on the palate that really sets it apart. High-class tannins. Try this from 2022.

I last tasted this upon its release in 2019. It was rigid and closed yet with promising intensity and concentration. Just over three years later, it is still tight, austere and decidedly vertical, with sleek, sophisticated oak starting to integrate, and coaxing aromas of roasted coffee, liquorice and violet. The palate is bracing, with mouth-watering acidity and grippy tannins to the fore. Underneath, a solid core of blackcurrant and black cherry lies in wait. Penetrating stony minerality and iron notes wash over the finish. Give this another couple of years at least.

Deep luminous ruby-red. Spicy red cherry and mineral nuances on the nose and in the mouth. Enters fresh and juicy with noteworthy flesh and size to the red and blue fruit flavors, then suave and refined all the way onto the long refined finish. Closes with youthfully chewy tannins and a tactile mouthfeel offering hints of flinty minerals and raspberry. A brooding giant that is extremely elegant and refined. Very well done.

Cerretalto is a special blend of intuition, passion and vision – the hallmark of all Casanova di Neri’s work. The grapes hail mainly from a vineyard situated in a natural amphitheatre alongside a small river. The prized white truffles which grow in our private truffle reserve here bear witness to the purity of this environment. Soil rich in minerals, a very particular microclimate and low yield per plant coupled with our experience, dedication and passion for our work in the vineyard and in the cellar make Cerretalto a wine of immense character and harmonious structure. It's a wine of exceptional quality, personality and inimitable style – the perfect expression of the territory that nurtures it, the distillation of our idea of what a great Brunello should be. Cerretalto is a wine of outstanding character. Its uniqueness lies in the aroma’s graphite notes and sanguine undertones, and the extraordinary length and persistence of flavour on the palate.