Marco Casolanetti is the fifth generation of his family to live and tend to their 17 hectares of land in the heart of Piceno, very far south along the coast of Marche. And he is the first generation to focus the property on their old Montepulciano and Bordo (the local Grenache) grape vines, as he began to plant more vineyards, replacing old fields of grain that the family always made orzo pasta from, a local favorite. Marco is a visionary; a man with an engineer's brain and a winemaker's passion. As were the generations that preceded him, he is a natural in the winery and in the fields. In remarkably high densities (one vineyard has 400,000 plants per hectare!) his vines produce very low yields per plant; giving incredible focus and purity to the grapes on this alluvial soil. A combination of this well draining earth and air that is full of seaspray and odium (its elevation is only 1.8m) makes the fruit disease-resistant, healthy, and concentrated. In the cellar, only the best (untreated) Grenier new French oak is used, no sulfites until bottling, and ample time in bottle before release, creating some of the most exciting and elegant wines to come from the Marche.
oasi degli angeli 'kurni'
100% montepulciano The Kurni is a singular expression of Montepulciano from the rolling hills of Cupra Marittima and Ripatransone in the Marche. Sourced from old vines averaging 70 years of age, planted at extreme densities (up to 40,000 plants/ha) in sandy, silty soils with gypsum and no chemical inputs, this wine is a study in intensity and purity. The 2022 vintage was harvested by mid-October and fermented naturally, 60% in open conical vats and 40% in stainless steel, with no temperature control, followed by an extended maceration of up to 25 days. All is then put into brand new French barrique to undergo the long and slow malolactic fermentation (often lasting well into the summer after harvest), and after 11 months, the first and only racking takes place. The wine is moved by gravity into, yet again, brand new French barrique. This protects the reductive Montepulciano from experiencing this fate, and continues to age for another 11 months before bottling. Bottled unfined and unfiltered, Kurni is a powerful and layered red with inky depth, ripe black fruit, floral tones, and an unmistakable energy that speaks to the vineyard's old vines and low yields. |
oasi degli angeli 'kupra'
100% bordò (grenache) The Oasi degli Angeli ‘Kupra’ is one of Italy’s most unique and rare red wines. Though traditionally referred to as “Alicante” in the region, the grape behind Kupra is actually a rare, centenarian biotype of Grenache, known locally as Bordò (so NOT Garnacha Tintorera, aka Alicante Bouchet). The vines are over 100 years old, rooted in the light, rocky soils of Ripatransone and grown on a south-facing slope at 350 meters, a 1.5-hectare vineyard that is a living relic of a forgotten viticultural past. The 2021 vintage was harvested in late September and fermented naturally in egg-shaped cement tanks, without temperature control, over 15 to 20 days. The wine then spent 32 months in barrique before bottling, unfined and unfiltered. With only 500 bottles produced, Kupra is a rare and profound wine, rich yet vertical, with layers of red berries, dried herbs, and wild Mediterranean brush, all carried by a lifted structure and deep mineral core. It is as intellectual as it is sensual. |