Cupano - Rosso, Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy (NV)

TASTING NOTES

Very bright, luminous fruit with orange rinds providing a toothsome kick on an otherwise velvety palate. Characteristic sandy, grippy tannins. Yum! 

Made by late vigneron, Lionel Cousin and his team, Vino Rosso Cupano is a unique multi-vintage blend of Brunello di Montalcino from barrels that were not ready when they first bottled the 2018 and 2019. This is still a minute release of just 5000 bottles cases. For each release, their friend, Gerard Fromanger, paints a new label.  Cupano’s style is powerful, but sensual. These are unforgettable wines that pluck the heart strings and leave the drinker with a sense of having tasted something profound.

Each year, when they come to bottling the next Brunello vintage release, they taste each barrel to decide on which ones will make the final blend. Some barrels do not feel ready at the time, but might be excellent, so they get left aside. Instead of releasing as a Brunello release that might disrupt the usual annual releases of the estate wines, it has instead become a sort of upmarket 'vin de copains' - wine for friends.

This is the 5th release, a blend of vintages 2018 and 2019: 80% Sangiovese, being from their Brunello di Montalcino vineyards, that would be either used for Brunello or Rosso di Montalcino (the difference with Rosso compared with Brunello is it’s either from younger vines, or aged in wood for less long, and released earlier, but it comes from Montalcino vineyards); and 20% Merlot, which would be used for their amazing wine, Ombrone. As with each version of Vino Rosso di Cupano, it’s delicious.