The winery is located in the municipality of Montalcino (Siena) in the Italian region of Tuscany. It was founded by wheat and seed merchant Giovanni Neri in 1971 through the purchase of an extensive estate. Since his death in 1991, his son Giacomo has run the winery and personally looks after the vineyards and the cellar. Today he is assisted by his sons Giovanni and Gianlorenzo, who embody the importance of continuity and family traditions.
The vineyards cover 79 hectares, divided between seven sites. These are Fiesole with the cellar and the farmhouse of the same name overlooking Montalcino, Collalli and Cerretalto to the east, Podernuovo at 480 metres above sea level, Pietradonice, and Giovanni Neri and Le Cetine to the south. The red wine varieties Sangiovese (the leading variety), Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot are cultivated, as well as small quantities of the white wine varieties Vermentino and Grechetto. The sustainable cultivation is carried out without the use of chemical fertilisers or pesticides. The grapes are always harvested by hand.
The philosophy of the house is based on the search for the best terroir with the aim of producing wines with a distinctive style. The ten wine types reflect the ten different terroirs. The cellar is fully integrated into a slope and allows for gentle processing using gravity. This is characterised by a natural and constant humidity and temperature. In the production process, the quality of the grapes is taken into account in order to minimise any negative impact on the natural origin of the wines.
After spontaneous fermentation, the wines are slowly matured in two spacious bottaie (maturation cellars) in wooden barrels of different sizes. The top products of the house are three DOCG wines Brunello di Montalcino. These are "Cerretalto" (100% Sangiovese, 30 months in tonneaux and barriques, at least 24 months of bottle ageing, marketed only 6 years after the harvest), "Tenuta Nuova" (100% Sangiovese, 30 months in tonneaux and barriques, 18 months of bottle ageing) and the "Giovanni Neri" named after the founder of the winery (100% Sangiovese, of which 20% are whole grapes used in fermentation, 30 months in tonneaux and barriques, 18 months of bottle ageing).
The DOC red wine Rosso di Montalcino and IGT wines Toscana are also produced. Around 290,000 bottles of wine are produced annually. About 80% of this is exported, mainly to the USA. Olive oil (Olio d'Oliva Extra Vergine) is also produced from 12 hectares of olive trees. The farm is a member of the Consorzio del Brunello di Montalcino.
