100 James Suckling. Review Date: 06/2022. This has incredible energy and depth, with a tight, firm and powerful tannin frame that is present throughout. Full-bodied with a deep core of dark fruit, slate, minerals and iron. Oyster shells, porcini, licorice and some cedar, too. More closed than the 2015. Great wine.
98 Decanter. Review Date: 11/2021. Cerretalto is bottled separately in selected vintages only. It is given an additional year of ageing and is typically still patently austere when released. While the 2015 was almost uncharacteristically fleshy, 2016 is a return to Cerretalto’s sinewy personality. It opens gradually with distinct flint, creosote and smoke-infused wild black currants and thyme. The palate is powerful without being weighty, with chiselled tannins that are rigid but not hard-edged. A concentrated core of black salted liquorice, black raspberry and iron is pierced by tangy acidity. Ultimately an elegant wine, this will need time to express all its nuance. (MM)
98 Wine Advocate. Review Date: 02/2022. Here's an important keepsake from a classic vintage. The Casanova di Neri 2016 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto needs time to open, especially if you plan to drink the wine earlier than is recommended (you're best off waiting five years or more). This powerful wine is packed tight with black fruit, plum and summer ripe cherry. Those dark fruit tones segue to spice, baked clay, balsam herb and gardening soil. The oak is always more apparent in the Cerretalto (which is released one year later, as if it were a Riserva) compared to the Tenuta Nuova. The vineyard used makes a big difference, giving this wine more textural weight and thicker fiber. It's all a question of taste, but if you want power (with 15% alcohol), richness, sensuality and voluptuousness in your Brunello, Cerretalto is the bottle at the end of the rainbow. (ML)
98 Wine Spectator. Review Date: 06/2022. A dense, racy and expressive red, offering black cherry, black currant, violet and iron aromas and flavors, with a hint of rosemary. This is driven by vivid acidity and refined tannins, which lend both finesse and length. Shows great harmony and elegance. (BS)
