2012 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto Riserva
Buying options
Tasting notes
A rich ruby hue, the 2012 Brunello Di Montalcino Cerretalto is ripe and pure, with kirsch, polished leather, anise, and cedar. It is full-bodied without weight and has an elegant yet expansive mouthfeel, with ripe tannins and a velvety texture balanced with fresh acidity. It has fantastic length, with notes of wild raspberry, red plum, dried rose petal, and sweet herbs. It is in a beautiful place for drinking now and shows no signs of slowing down or moving into more tertiary notes. An exquisite wine, it warrants decanting as it opens. Drink 2023-2043.
Critic scores
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto offers a prolonged, flowing and carefully massaged drinking experience that drapes over the senses with some studied intensity and lots of intriguing complexity. This wine nails that perfect balance between power and elegance (that elusive exchange that so many winemakers hope to achieve) with effortless precision. Bold cherry fruit and spice are tightly woven together. In the mouth, the wine shows texture, depth and succulence. Generally speaking, this is not my favorite vintage in Montalcino, but this wine suddenly made me forget that thought.
Vivid red with a pale rim. Tight, pure aromas of black fruits, potpourri, black pepper, roast coffee and graphite. Dense, tactile and rich, conveying a multilayered texture and very good lift to the super-ripe, super-concentrated blackberry and red cherry fruit. Impeccably balanced, this rather plush wine is most impressive today on the very long, suavely tannic finish that features repeating herbal notes. I have never been a fan of the Cerretalto, and have truly disliked even some famous vintages of this wine scored very highly by other wine critics, but it’s hard to argue with the 2013 Cerretalto, another outstanding Brunello released by owner Giacomo Neri this year.
The 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto offers a prolonged, flowing and carefully massaged drinking experience that drapes over the senses with some studied intensity and lots of intriguing complexity. This wine nails that perfect balance between power and elegance (that elusive exchange that so many winemakers hope to achieve) with effortless precision. Bold cherry fruit and spice are tightly woven together. In the mouth, the wine shows texture, depth and succulence. Generally speaking, this is not my favorite vintage in Montalcino, but this wine suddenly made me forget that thought. Mar 2018, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
Casanova di Neri pioneered the concept of single-vineyard Brunello di Montalcino and today is one of the region’s most consistent producers.