Casanova di Neri’s Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto 2016 is a single-vineyard Sangiovese from Tuscany’s Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, bottled only in selected vintages and released later than the estate’s standard Brunello. That extra time is reflected in its structure and in the consistent message from critics: this is a serious, built-for-aging Cerretalto that needs patience.

The headline review is James Suckling’s perfect 100-point score, calling it a “great wine” with “incredible energy and depth” and a “tight, firm and powerful tannin frame,” finishing with a clear drinking-window cue: “Try this after a couple of years. It will last for decades.” Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (98 points) also frames it as long-term cellar material, writing, “you’re best off waiting five years or more,” and describing it as “packed tight with black fruit, plum and summer ripe cherry,” moving into “spice, baked clay, balsam herb and gardening soil.” The Wine Advocate also notes the wine’s “15% alcohol” and observes that “the oak is always more apparent in the Cerretalto,” adding that it’s released “one year later, as if it were a Riserva.”

Wine Spectator’s 98-point note emphasizes both intensity and polish, calling it “dense, racy and expressive,” with “black cherry, black currant, violet, iron and a hint of rosemary,” and praising “great harmony and elegance.” It recommends cellaring—“Best from 2025 through 2047”—and reports production at “828 cases made, 145 cases imported.”

Decanter (98 points) characterizes 2016 as “a return to Cerretalto’s sinewy personality,” highlighting “flint, creosote and smoke-infused wild black currants and thyme,” with “chiselled tannins” and “tangy acidity,” concluding, “Ultimately an elegant wine, this will need time.” Vinous (97 points) similarly finds it “not yet ready,” pointing to “bright acidity,” “grippy tannins,” and lingering “licorice, clove and a hint of ginger.”