Tasting Notes
A beautiful new wine from Cupano's special hillside with the hallmarks of the Brunello wine we love. Vino Rosso di Cupano is a game changer, as it delivers the unique aromas and flavours of Cupano, but in a lighter wine than the Brunello, so you can drink it young, and for a much lower price. It's a joy to drink now. And I think it will age well, too. It's most definitely a reflection of the amazing terroir from which it comes, and is evocative of the aged Brunello di Montalcino, when it's lost the oak and youthful richness, and you are left with the quintessence of the Sangiovese from this special hillside. You get those magical Cupano perfumes, with notes on the palate of cherry and plum, and a delicious, long, fine, violet-flavoured finish, with soft, powdery tannins. It's quite Burgundian in weight and feel, and a bit like the best wines of Sierra de Gredos, with their stony minerality, with a bit more oomph. It comes from the same hill as their Brunello di Montalcino, and Ombrone, but on the other side of the house, from a small vineyard of just 1.5 hectares that was planted in 2013. It could be registered as Brunello di Montalcino, but only by parting with an exorbitant sum of money to the Brunello consorzio. Along with that would come stipulations such as how long the wine must be aged in wood and how many years it must be kept before release. Free of these strictures, Andrea Polidoro has been able to make this fabulous wine for an extremely good price.
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It’s the almost obsessive attention to detail that sets Cupano apart. Before planting his land, Lionel carried up rocks from the Ombrone river bank to improve grounding and drainage. Each vine in the 7 hectares of vineyards was planted by his own hand, and his meticulous attention extends to pruning individual bunches with nail-scissors! It is also completely organic and some biodynamic practices. Although we have said it before, it’s worth a reminder: Lionel learned winemaking under the tutelage of the late Henri Jayer (of Vosne-Romanée), arguably the greatest and most influential winemaker of the 20th Century. They became close friends until Jayer died in 2006, and Lionel is committed to maintaining his friend's principles.