Oasi Degli Angeli Marche Kurni 2020

Oasi Degli Angeli Marche Kurni 2020 is one of Italy’s modern cult reds – a deeply characterful wine that shows just how intense and refined Montepulciano can be in the right hands. Produced in microscopic quantities from painstakingly low-yielding vineyards in the southern Marche, it offers an almost monumental concentration wrapped in poise and elegance. Kurni is the flagship wine of Oasi degli Angeli and has helped put this tiny coastal estate on the world map, redefining expectations of the Marche as a region for serious, ageworthy reds.

Tasting Notes
In the glass, Kurni 2020 shows a clear, vibrant ruby red hue with a shimmering, nearly electric core that hints at both youth and depth. The nose is immediately seductive and expressive: candied wild strawberries and blood orange zest intertwined with rosehip, dried petals and a lifted note of lemon juice. Subtle Assam tea leaf, dried herbs and a gentle floral perfume emerge with air, giving the wine a layered, almost aromatic-tea complexity. On the palate, the wine is at once taut and opulent, with a beautiful, freshly cut acidity that drives immense tension from start to finish. The fruit is pure and crystal-clear – red berries and citrus-tinged cherry – wrapped in dense, finely woven tannins that are firm but silk-textured. There is a sense of precision and grip, with no heaviness, and the finish is extraordinarily long, echoing with dried flowers, tangy citrus, fine tea and subtly savory undertones. While already compelling, the 2020 has the structure and balance to evolve gracefully for 10–15 years or more, gaining further complexity and polish in bottle.

Production
Kurni comes from steep, meticulously tended vineyards around Cupra Marittima in the southern Marche, where Montepulciano vines grow close to the Adriatic Sea on poor, stony soils rich in limestone and clay. This combination of maritime influence and mineral-rich terroir produces naturally low yields and intense, small-berried fruit. The grapes are harvested by hand in multiple passes to ensure perfect ripeness and selection at the vine. In the cellar, Oasi degli Angeli works with great precision: careful destemming, long, temperature-controlled macerations and fermentation designed to extract fine, silky tannins rather than harsh structure. The wine is then aged in small oak barrels (often a high proportion of new barrique), allowing the powerful fruit to integrate with subtle spice and oxygen, building texture, complexity and longevity while preserving the wine’s striking freshness.

Food & Serving
This is a serious gastronomic red best matched with richly flavored dishes: slow-braised beef cheeks, ossobuco, roast lamb with herbs, game birds, wild boar ragù, or deeply reduced mushroom and truffle dishes. It also shines alongside aged hard cheeses like Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino. Serve at 16–18°C (60–64°F) in large Bordeaux-style glasses to fully express its aromatic detail. Decanting for 1–2 hours is strongly recommended in its youth to open up the nose, soften the tannins and reveal the full, layered complexity that lies beneath the initial concentration.

Producer
Oasi degli Angeli is a tiny, fiercely quality-driven estate in Cupra Marittima, on the Adriatic coast of the Marche, founded and run by the visionary duo Marco Casolanetti and Eleonora Rossi. From the beginning, their philosophy has been radical: extremely low yields, obsessive attention to vine health and ripeness, and a willingness to challenge traditional expectations of what Marche reds can be. With Kurni, they created one of Italy’s first true cult wines from the region, a bottle that regularly garners top scores from Italian and international critics alike. Oasi degli Angeli has become a reference point for concentrated yet exquisitely balanced Montepulciano, demonstrating that the Marche can stand shoulder to shoulder with Italy’s most prestigious red-wine regions.