Kurni is one of Italy's cult reds, made by Marco Casolanetti and Eleonora Rossi at Cupra Marittima, in southern Marche, a few kilometres from the Adriatic. In the early 1990s they decided not to sell the family land but to turn it into an uncompromising project; the first vintage of Kurni was 1998.
It is a pure Montepulciano from very densely planted bush vines, with severe pruning and tiny yields, farmed organically. The wine ages at length exclusively in new French oak barriques. Bottles are few and highly sought after.
The 2021 is still very young: almost opaque, with jammy black and red fruit, cherries in spirit, cocoa, sweet spice and balsamic notes, a dense, enveloping palate and substantial but well-integrated alcohol. It is a wine of rare concentration that divides opinion but never leaves anyone indifferent. Give it a few years, or pair it with game, blue cheeses or even dark chocolate at the end of a meal.
At a glance: Montepulciano 100% · 14.5% ABV · 0.75 l · Oasi degli Angeli, Cupra Marittima (AP)