1997 Casanova di Neri Cerretalto, Brunello di Montalcino DOCG, Italy 750ml

The 1997 Brunello di Montalcino Cerretalto opens to a profoundly dark color and inky appearance. The bouquet is seamless and tight, with a long continuum of dark fruit nuances, dried cherry, cured meat and exotic spice. There are evolved aromas of tar and smoke as well. That said, there was agreement between Giacomo Neri and myself that this was not a perfect bottle. Despite its broad textural embroidery, the wine seemed less able to deliver in terms of depth, definition and sharpness. On the other hand, the tannins are sharp, almost astringent, and not what I would have expected from this iconic vintage (that is credited with kick-starting Brunello sales in the United States market). That explains the question mark in my score. (ML)