Brunello di Montalcino DOCG

Deep ruby at the core, shading to a faint garnet rim, the 2021 Casanova di Neri Brunello di Montalcino is coiled and unhurried, giving up just a little fragrance without about 20 minutes of air. Coax it, and the aromas come in waves: sour cherry and blood plum first, then dried violet and sandalwood, with wild fennel and tobacco leaf trailing behind. Fruit off the cooler stretches around Torrenieri gives the palate its nervy lift, a bright seam of blood orange running the full length of the wine. Tannins are powdery, fine-grained and faintly abrasive across a finish that stretches on, and they argue for another four or five years in bottle.