Look at that soil! I know we always say that, but look at it. You couldn't even walk in that barefoot, much less want to shoot your head through it. It's amazing to think beautiful thick vines with big huge clusters of grapes will emerge from this rocky treacherous soil come September. And it will! Some of the worlds best sangiovese grosso, or brunello, will grow from this breathtaking terroir.
In 2001, Casanova di Neri earned #1 wine of the top 100 in Wine Spectator for the Tenuta Nuova Brunello and Gambero Rosso declared, "Any list of the top Montalcino producers would be incomplete without Giacomo Neri". That's pretty good stuff. And the proof is in the pudding. The wines are deep, lush, terroir driven monsters that will age for years and years.
They are expensive too, which is why we're so giddy that Giacomo decided to make this "little brother" if you will to his Brunellos. The Rosso di Casanova di Neri is mostly sangiovese grosso with just a touch of colorino, for, yup, you guessed it, color. This wine is made from a combo of young vines and grapes that didn't make the selection to his Brunellos. We benefit in that we essentially get to drink high quality grapes at an affordable price. Yippee! And, it's summer, who wants to drink Brunello now anyway? The Rosso di Casanova di Neri is lush with ripe red fruits, rich in texture and powerful, but merely mid-weight. Perfect for that grilled hunk of meat you just picked up.
Neri Rosso $20 a bottle
