2020 Brunello di Montalcino Tenuta Nuova

Revisiting Casanova di Neri this July was a fantastic opportunity to taste through the range of 2019s and 2020s (the 2019s were not included in last year's report). In my view, the Neri family represents one of the most significant evolutions in Montalcino. The wines have always possessed remarkable balance that allows them to age gracefully, yet they were once large-scaled, brooding and powerful. Today, there’s a new level of purity throughout the range but the same proportion of ripe fruit and character that is undeniably Casanova di Neri. Starting in 2017, the family began shortening maceration times and invested in an optical sorter. The differences in the wines are notable. The 2020s at this address are drop-dead gorgeous and may have been even more impressive if I hadn’t tasted them next to the 2019s. Both vintages of the Tenuta Nuova surpassed expectations. The late-release Cerretalto remains the powerhouse of this range yet comes across as harmonious from start to finish, even the 2018. But it’s the new Giovanni Neri Brunello that really turns my head (both the 2019 and 2020). Hailing from a 50-year-old vineyard near Castelnuovo dell’Abate, this gorgeous wine has quickly risen to the top of the portfolio. The family spent years rehabilitating these old vines, and now we all reap the rewards. Of note, there will be no 2020 Cerretalto, with the fruit from that bottling going into the white label Brunello.