Intense yet genial, elegant yet backed with power, harmonious yet delineated, the ’02 Cupano Brunello di Montalcino seems to be all things to all wine enthusiasts, and it succeeds admirably. Crafted from meticulously grown organic Sangiovese grapes kept to extraordinarily low yields, this Brunello spends fifty months in oak barrels and in the bottle before release. The result is a spicy, aromatic, intense and velvety wine that offers deceptive power, great longevity and terrific balance--and this one, now with more than a decade of maturity, is developing fine tertiary notes of forest floor, umami, tobacco and leather. While the ’02 vintage presented many Montalcino winemakers with myriad challenges, Lionel Cousin showed that great wines can come from difficult vintages; this ’02 is stunning!
- Country: Italy
- Region: Toscana
- Sub Region: Siena
- Commune/Village: Montalcino
“Cupano” is the buzzword that Sergio Esposito heard frequently on the lips of young sommeliers in Italy. A rare certified organic Montalcino estate, Cupano sits on a rolling plain at the far edges of Montalcino, and it makes outstanding wines--beautifully structured Brunello di Montalcino, luxurious Super-Tuscan Sant’Antimo Ombre, and delicious Rosso di Montalcino. Owner-operators Ornella Tondini and Lionello Cousin founded the estate in the late ‘80s and use a decidedly French yet non-interventionist approach with their wines. In fact, Lionello was mentored by the late Burgundy legend Henri Jayer, an early adopter of organic and biodynamic agriculture and winemaking protocol. So devoted is Lionello to his vines that during the growing season he walks through his vineyards daily, trimming leaves and bunches with a pair of manicure scissors that he keeps in his pocket.
Cupano's vineyards sit on stony soils that were once riverbeds, offering great minerality and fantastic drainage to the vines that grow there. Reflecting Ornella's Italian and Lionello's French heritage, Cupano's wine protocol picks the best of both Italian and French traditions to create long-aging, sophisticated and beautiful wines.
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