Cupano Sant'Antimo Ombrone Tuscany 2019
Tuscany · Sant'Antimo · Super Tuscan Blends · red
About this wine
Super Tuscan Sunday Funday! Dropping into the Last Bottle line-up rocking 94 POINTS – let’s return to the simply GLORIOUS Cupano estate, shall we? At a stellar $81 OFF?! Yeehaw! Who could say no to CABERNET SAUVIGNON, supplemented with 23% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc – all biodynamically farmed on a pristine little hamlet just outside of the ancient village of Camigliano? And the PRICE?! Let’s go!! CUPANO coming back for the encore, good people! If you snagged some of that 97-point Brunello we featured a little ways back – you’d be sage and savvy to complete the set! This rough and tumble Ombrone is every bit as delicious as its kin – but perhaps even more integrated and ready to drink in the here and now! That’s a good thing, people…’cause one whiff in and I’m already planning to open up a second bottle – this is a wine that begs…no, DEMANDS to be shared! Only the worthy need apply – but to those lucky few, what a journey that awaits! Iron and asphalt, with dark Morello cherries, and blackberries, with roasted plums, and savory, smoky herbs a’plenty, mocha dust, and toasted black peppercorns…this is a BEAST! Things brighten considerably once the juice hits the tongue, with blueberries and raspberries, some mulberry jam, and this zesty blood orange peel note. Balsamic and fresh in equal measure, with the sort of substance, depth, and complexity to impress the most hardcore Bordeaux lovers…just, WOW! The flavors and profound decadence hangs around endlessly, and each and every sip seems to stretch out for minutes at a time. 2019 was one of the most impressive Tuscan vintages in recent memory – and this striking and mesmerizing Super-Tuscan embodies all that PERFECTLY! Crafted by Andrea Polidoro – a recent “Vinous Icon” – and long-serving winemaker for this remarkable Montalcino estate. Over a sushi dinner in Napa a few months back, Andrea told us how he had been on the press side of the wine biz, rating wines and interviewing vintners from France to Italy, for years. Then, by chance, he tasted Lionel Cousin’s relatively UNKNOWN Cupano wines and fell deeply, madly, in love. He consistently found himself rating them step-in-line with SASSICAIA in blind tastings, which is no easy feat, mind you. So Andrea abandoned his career in Bordeaux and went to work and learn everything he could under Lionel – soaking it all up like a sponge. But HOLD UP…it gets even better! Now, Lionel was a filmmaker by trade, but that didn’t stop him from learning how to make wine under one of the greatest…Burgundy…winemakers…EVER! The simply LEGENDARY Henri Jayer was Lionel’s family friend, and he mentored him for several years once Lionel and his wife Ornella, bought this stunning little hamlet in Montalcino back in the mid-90s. After making the wines for the first 15 years – and gaining as much respect as a French winemaker in Montalcino could ever hope for – Lionel passed the reins to his understudy Andrea in 2014 – while still keeping a close watch on his progress. Now having tried several recent vintages across the portfolio – it’s apparent Andrea has been a fine student, and Cupano is crafting some of the best wines in its history! You saw the whole $81 OFF part, right? Ok, then! Barely enough for a Saturday…but maybe…MAYBE…we’ll pull out a surprise a bit later on…
Wine details
- Producer
- Cupano
- Vintage
- 2019
- Region
- Tuscany
- Appellation
- Sant'Antimo
- Varietal
- Super Tuscan Blends
- Blend
- 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Franc, 20% Sangiovese
- Color
- red
- Winemaker
- Andrea Polidoro
- Last Bottle price
- $69
- Retail price (estimate)
- $150
- CellarTracker score
- 91 (3 reviews)
- Critic score
- 94 — Decanter