Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2018 (750 ml.) Cupano

THE WINE

The Brunello di Montalcino from Cupano is a red wine that, breaking away from the most traditional patterns, has managed to achieve extraordinary quality levels. Produced exclusively from Sangiovese Grosso grapes, it ages on fine lees in Burgundy barrels for at least 3 years with a varying percentage of new oak. It is bottled 4 years after the harvest. The result is a formidable wine in terms of balance, with guaranteed aging potential. It is an exceptional Brunello, strong in its terroir and enriched and refined by the savoir-faire and gentle ways of the French.

THE COMPANY

"It was the early 1970s when Lionel Cousin and his wife Ornella first discovered the lands of Montalcino, during a visit to their painter friend Yoran Cazac, who at the time owned a farm with an ancient farmhouse perched above the bends of the Ombrone river. The spark was almost immediate, and the magic of the Tuscan lands left a mark on Lionel and Ornella, to the point that just over twenty years later, in 1996, they purchased what is now the reality of Cupano.

Known in Montalcino as “the Frenchman,” Lionel then left his past as a cinematographic director of photography to fully dedicate himself to his company.

The stage - for those more experienced and knowledgeable about the denomination - is that of the western slope, where Brunello wines are generally more savory and mineral, thanks to the composition of soils rich in sand, clay, and alluvial pebbles.

On a hill with particularly draining soil, we find the 34 hectares of Cupano, of which about seven are currently cultivated as vineyards.

The company’s approach was inspired by the teachings of Henri Jayer, who in some way transferred the rules he used to follow in Burgundy, effectively importing his firm beliefs into the Ilcino lands, starting from a limited vineyard area, with low yields, a ban on pesticides and chemical fertilizers, careful selection of grapes, and indigenous yeasts. Carlo Ferrini was the one who chose the planting density and the land where to plant the vines, while François Bouchet, as an expert winemaker, introduced Cupano to biodynamics, the simplest and most effective one. Finally, it was the great Giulio Gambelli, a master of Sangiovese, who initiated the bottling process.

This is Cupano, or this was the birth of Cupano, which over the years has seen some of its inspiring mentors pass away, but at the same time continues to live on in the labels of what are today simply extraordinary wines. From Brunello di Montalcino to Brunello Riserva, including Rosso and Sant’Antimo “Ombrone,” all of these bottles, bearing the name of “Cupano,” reflect not only the excellence of the Ilcino lands but also the greatness of the figures who have witnessed and still witness them coming to life. Wonderful wines.