Biography
Elenora Rossi and Marco Casolanetti are the young proprietors of Oasi degli Angeli in Cupra Marittima (Ascoli Piceno). Since the very beginning they have been covered with prizes and recognition for their wines. This is not a minor consideration. There is a reason for the extraordinary attention lavished upon them by the wine press. With no significant viticultural and oenological tradition to work with, they have followed a singular, but far-sighted, production philosophy: one sole wine, Kurni, a Montepulciano from a more than forty year old vineyard of bush wines cultivated according to the tenets of bio-dynamic agriculture. The vine density is of record level, 10-15,000 per hectare, and yields per vine are at the minimal level of 250 grams per plant. The wine, in short, is absolutely unique for natural power and concentration, capable of surviving a double challenge with oak without fear of being dominated. After a lengthy period of skin contact in stainless steel tanks (40 days), the wine goes into new small oak barrels for nine months, after which it is then racked into another set of new barrels for a further period of nine months. Production is minimal. The quality of the wine is immediate obvious when tasted. It is an impenetrable ruby red with notes of eggplant purple, opulent and impressive. It is explosive on the nose, of great impact, with formidably intense aromas of cherries under spirits and blackberries, berry fruit, and a crescendo of sensations which include underbrush, tobacco, mocha, and leather. Rich and dense on the palate, with a superior balance between tannins and acidity, it has an overflowing fullness, tasty and vigorous, immensely long and with a finish of coffee, berries, and leather. For temperament and character this is a wine which fully deserves a place in a category defined by writer Luigi Veronelli as wines for sipping and meditation. To drink in perfect solitude. At the table, nonetheless, it is an excellent accompaniment to game and aged cheese.