CASANOVA DI NERI BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO GIOVANNI NERI 2018

Giovanni Neri marks Casanova di Neri's first single-vineyard cru dedicated to founder Giovanni Neri, with the wine aged in large Slavonian oak casks rather than the smaller barriques used for some of the estate's other crus — a choice that preserves more of Sangiovese's native structure. The fruit comes from Montalcino's southern sector, where galestro and clay soils build both concentration and aromatic lift. Just 5,400 bottles were produced in this inaugural release. Ripe cherry and blackberry lead, followed by oak spice, toast, and crushed white stone, with softly pliable tannins through a fine, delicate finish.