Oasi degli Angeli
Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 7:00AM
In 2003 I wrote, “Kurni is on a whole different level of being.” I achieved that level of being this weekend when I opened a bottle of 1999 Oasi degli Angeli Kurni. This micro-estate in Italy’s beautiful Le Marche is the vision and labor-of-love of Eleonora Rossi and Marco Casolanetti. Kurni is a perennial winner of Tre Bicchieri Awards in the Gambero Rosso and has become a true cult wine in Italy. The production of Kurni is measured in bottles instead of cases with a scant 4000 available to grace fine tables. Most of this treasure is grabbed up by Italian restaurants, but some bottles do find their way here. If you see one don’t pass it by because you may never find it again.
Perhaps what is most interesting about this bottle is that it was from a difficult vintage and the wine that broke the string of Tre Bicchieri Awards that Kurni had achieved once again proving that vintage charts and wine ratings leave much to be desired. This 100% Montepulicano from their old vine vineyard is still a dark ruby and sizzles with acidity and deep, dark black fruit flavors. As vivacious as this wine is I think it is ready to drink. This is a wine at its zenith - that moment when bottle age has brought out the maximum complexity, but while the beauty of the fruit from which it was born still remains. The greatness that is Kurni is only achieved with age. In it’s youth it often seems just another oaky fruit bomb. It is only with age that it achieves its promise.
Here is the link to my story on Oasi degli Angeli in 2003:
http://www.winecampblog.com/journal/2006/2/26/oasi-degli-angeli-and-kurni.html












Reader Comments (1)
Hello!
I saw your blog when I was searching for Oasi Degli Angeli's web page and decided to comment on this post.
Kurni is definitely one of the best wines I have ever tasted. It is absolutely marvellous!
I am also proud to say that I have visited the vineyard of Oasi Degli Angeli in Le Marche and met the very pleasant owner Marco.
Also I must recommend the restaurant in there because it has excellent food, he (Marco) serves Kurni with the secondi piatti and it is a very affordable place to enjoy great food.
Now that Robert Parker made the review on Kurni, the already high price will go through the roof! Well that should be expected since Parker gave Kurni 96 points out of a 100.
It is unfortunate that this attention will get Kurni a huge success, well not the success in itself but, it will be impossible to find. There is a positive side to it too. Marco the vineyard owner and "creator" of Kurni and Cupra Marittima will get lots of support and fame. It is nice that such small vineyards are noticed by the wine professionals. Even if they're American (just joking)!
I have to say once more that I really enjoyed the 2007 and 2008 Kurni wines.. absolutely fantastic wine!
Best Regards, Micaela