Casanova di Neri: Cerretalto 2016

The Cerretalto is a masterpiece of the interplay between terroir and the winemaker’s craft.

What makes this wine unique are its graphite notes, perfect balance, and incredible length.

On the nose, it is already incredibly complex, full, and explosive. After graphite, cherry and licorice come through, along with other red fruits. Then it becomes balsamic with a hint of menthol.

This vintage was almost universally rated with 100 points, as the 2016 vintage was a nearly perfect year in Montalcino.

The wine ages for about 30 months in oak barrels and then another 30 months in bottles before it is released to the market.

Unusually for Europe, the vineyard soil is mainly reddish, plinthite-rich earth. Normally, this type of soil is found in tropical regions. Here, it was formed over 4 million years ago, and now excellent wine grows on it. Dominated by high iron content, the soil also contains significant amounts of aluminum, silicate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium.