Casanova di Neri

Founded in 1971 by Giovanni Neri who with his great vision and passion understood the huge potential of wine in the Montalcino territory, it was passed on to his son Giacomo in 1991. Casanova di Neri does in fact stands for the Casanova Estate of the Neri Family. The production started in the Eastern part of Montalcino and was extended later in other areas.

First came the Cerretalto vineyard, a unique terroir in a natural amphitheatre over the Asso river in which the old vines produced a Sangiovese different from the others, with small bunches of well distanced grapes, from which a selective variety was grown that was used in out other vineyards particularly in Tenuta Nuova.

The acquisition of Cerretalto was followed by that of Le Cetine, Pietradonice and then Podernovo. All this by researching the best soil and exposures so as to produce unique and recognizable wines.

The first Brunello harvest was 1978. This was followed by Cerretalto1981, Rosso di Montalcino 1982, Tenuta Nuova 1993, Pietradonice 2000, IrRosso di Casanova di Neri and the last one Ibbianco 2011. In the course of our small yet at the same time great history we have received awards from the most important reviews and opinion leaders of national and international wine critics.
Currently the estate covers a surface of around 500 hectares of which 63 are vineyards, 20 olive groves and the rest arable land and forest.

PHILOSOPHY

We believe that wines are the fruit of the vineyard and of man's labour. The care and passion in working the land has to take into account the characteristics of the land, the microclimate and the variety so as to produce a unique distinct wine able to express its territory. For over forty years our evolution has been marked by careful targeted choices that have distinguished our estate and the wines we produce creating their own style.

A constant search for particular soils that exalt the quality and uniqueness of our wines and farming practices that respect the land and the vines are followed by attentive care in the making of the wine. Our wines are the fruit of exceptional combinations of soils and microclimates together with passionate and meticulous work enabling us to obtain constant results and to enhance the distinct features of the grapes throughout the different vintages.

Our 63 hectares of vineyards are the core of our estate and our greatest riches from which extraordinary grapes are produced that are the secret of our wines. In all there are 7 vineyards: Fiesole, Poderuccio, Podernuovo, Le Cetine, Pietradonice, Cerretalto and Spereta, all of them in different parts of the territory of Montalcino.

The diversity of their soils, exposures, microclimates and of the ages of the vines creates the identity of our wines. Wines produced by us are the consequence of how Sangiovese in Montalcino can give exceptional unrepeatable results, distinguished by a unique quality stemming from the combination of a territory that has always been dedicated to viticulture with the unstinting labour and infinite passion with which we confront it daily.

Our grapes are the product of a variety of Sangiovese Grosso taken from our Cerretalto vineyard and from a long process of reproduction and planting of vineyards on the various slopes that give varying results that all spring originally from Sangiovese in Casanova di Neri.

Our winery is situated in front of Montalcino, set in a unique context of great beauty, perfectly integrated in this splendid landscape. The building is mostly underground, facing north and with a natural room temperature without having to resort to air conditioning.

It was planned following a rational design that supports our production principles of low impact and natural processes. The structure is on three levels so as to take advantage of gravity and was built according to the needs of Casanova di Neri and of our vision of the productive process, intent on respecting the quality of the grapes and on enhancing the characteristics of the different grapes and above all of the different vineyards that they come from. Before the vinification the grapes are picked out on a selection belt after which they are de-stemmed and passed on to a further selection belt where we choose the best grapes that fall by gravity into the vats.

The fermentation takes places in open conical stainless steel vats with controlled temperature and no pumps, which allows us to have a maximum regard for the quality of the grapes and enables the extraction of only the best tannins, preserving the colour and fragrance. This particular care and attention to quality is the least we can do after our meticulous work in the vineyards. This is followed by the aging in two ample barrel rooms on two different levels again using gravity to our advantage.

After bottling, the wines are kept in the aging area in bottles until their shipment time. The richness and diversity of our vineyards is enhanced by the attentive care that is taken in the winery that crowns all the work that has gone into producing our wines.