Casanuova delle Cerbaie, Brunello di Montalcino on Sale

Casanuova delle Cerbaie, Brunello di Montalcino

Because David Lynch pens the overwhelming majority of our Italian offers, I thought we’d take a moment to re-introduce him for those who have joined us recently, or simply may not know his background. We didn’t just pluck a random writer off the street when he joined our team five years ago: David co-wrote Vino Italiano, a veritable tome that’s considered the “most comprehensive and authoritative American guide to the wines of Italy.” Additionally, he was the Wine Director at Babbo NYC and San Francisco’s Quince, plus the recipient of a James Beard Award in journalism. Bottom line, when David talks about Italian wine, we listen, and when he writes about them, we soak up every word. What a wine he’s found for us today: Casanuova delle Cerbaie’s always traditional, always affordable Brunello di Montalcino, except this specific back-vintage has a hidden ace up its sleeve.

In 2011, Cerbaie didn’t produce their pricier “Riserva,” so all of the raw material in this savory, decade-old Sangiovese came from the legendary “Montosoli” vineyard, what Forbes Magazine agrees to be Brunello’s “Grand Cru.” It has now reached the point in its evolution where it has truly taken on new dimensions. The aromas have grown more complex, the texture more refined and voluptuous, and the flavors more rustic and earthy. Non-patient wine drinkers don’t get to experience a mature $50 Brunello di Montalcino very often unless a smoking deal like this drops into their laps, so take advantage of it! We’ll let David take it from here…

We’ve followed Casanuova delle Cerbaie with interest since American entrepreneur and avid Brunello enthusiast Roy Welland acquired the property in 2008. This is a well-situated estate on the ‘north slope’ of the Montalcino hill, a neighbor to the assorted Sassetti family properties and one of the owners of vines in the famed “Montosoli” vineyard. Working with about 5.5 hectares of vineyards registered as Brunello di Montalcino DOCG (including about 1.5 in Montosoli), Welland’s sure-handed enologist, Paolo Vagaggini (a Montalcino fixture who’s worked with a host of top estates, including Fuligni, Il Palazzone, and Biondi-Santi), favors a woodsy, savory style of Sangiovese aged in larger Slavonian oak barrels crafted by the Austrian cooperage Stockinger.

Today’s wine spent two years in barrel and, per Montalcino law, four years aging in total before it was initially released. Now with five more years of bottle age, it has entered a beguiling and deeply pleasurable point in its evolution. In the glass, it’s a deep garnet moving to a lighter brick orange hue. With 30 minutes of air, it broadcasts ripe and dried cherry fruit, roasted red plum, and black raspberry liqueur that’s woven with loads of underbrush, leather, and smoky savor. The full-bodied palate delivers heady, intoxicating aromas of brandied cherries, licorice, burnt orange peel, leather, wild mushrooms, and dried thyme yet I was most impressed with the dusty, soft-framed tannins and still-fresh acidity that adds a buoyant lift to the finish. Although it still has 3-5 more years of positive evolution ahead of it, it’s already in a prime drinking spot so there’s no need to wait any longer. Enjoy!