Casanova di Neri

Casanova di Neri was founded in 1971 by Giovanni Neri, a grain and seed merchant who had indeed a dream: producing great Italian red wine. Although the renowned lands of Chianti Classico are just a stone's throw from where he grew up, what fascinates him is the austerity of the sangiovese that grows in Montalcino and its unpredictability.

So, he buys Podere Casanova: a property of about 200 hectares, east of the town. The wine is still a marginal part of the production and it is mostly sold in bulk. However Giovanni Neri understands that, thanks to the altitude, the characteristics and the composition of the soil, this place has the potential to produce a great Brunello.

The first Brunello was bottled in 1978, and it is the one which today is indicated with the white label: the classic Brunello, which has now become a reference for the whole Sangiovese area. It is a red wine which comes from various plots of land among the seven noble Montalcino vineyards owned by the Neri family. It is aged, according to tradition, for more than three years in large Slavonian oak barrels and it has an amazing complexity and verticality.

The intuition of a top of the range Brunello from a single vineyard is realized with the purchase of the Cerretalto estate. From this vineyard Neri produces the Brunello reserve of the same name, which rests 30 months in large casks and the further 30 months in bottle. A wine produced since 1981 which, for the quantity of 100/100 gained in its history, has marked a stylistic watershed in the Brunello epic.

Casanova di Neri style expresses a Brunello which is elegant, subtle and fine, as well as solid in structure and body. It is not a monolithic style, but in constant innovation. Since 1994, in fact, with the purchase of the Pietradonice vineyard, the winery also produces a sensational Cabernet Sauvignon. And, in 1998, it releases its third Brunello, Tenuta Nuova, which ages 30 months in tonneau (medium-small cask) and is therefore the sign of a modernization of style and taste.

Currently the winery covers an area of about 500 hectares, 63 of which are vineyards, 20 are olive groves and the rest are cultivated with crops and woods. Everything is managed according to the principles of full eco-sustainability. Vineyards are the beating heart of the winery. They are seven magnificent plots of land located in the various areas of the Montalcino appellation, and in particular in the legendary eastern side: Fiesole, Cerretalto, Collalli, Podernuovo, Pietradonice, Giovanni Neri and Cetine. Their diversity in terms of soil, exposure, microclimate and age of the vines, which together constitute the company's concept of terroir, represents the identity of Casanova di Neri wines.