Cupano
Cupano is a family-run winery that represents an excellence of the Montalcino territory. It was born from the love for this land by Ornella Tondini, a journalist, and Lionel Cousin, a director and cinematographer, who in the 1990s decided to leave Paris and their professions to move to Tuscany. In 1994, they purchased Podere Centine, located in the southwest area of the Montalcino hill, near the ancient village of Camigliano. The property had been abandoned for over 40 years and offered a virgin land that had never known the use of chemicals and modern industrial agriculture. An ideal land to start from scratch and create a farm oriented towards the production of great wines.
The estate covers a total of 35 hectares, of which just over six are dedicated to vineyards and the rest to olive groves, arable land, and woods, in order to preserve the natural biodiversity of the place. In the countryside, the principles of organic farming are followed, also utilizing practices of biodynamics. The vineyards occupy a beautiful hilly area, characterized by sunny exposures and sandy and clayey soils, rich in pebbles, an ancient legacy of the old riverbed of the Ombrone, which now flows in the valley below the hill. The climate is mild and breezy, caressed by marine breezes that rise towards the inland of the Tyrrhenian coast. The vines have been predominantly planted with Sangiovese grosso, but there are also small parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, which have adapted very well to the place.
The first Cupano labels were released in 2000, with the idea of creating great aging reds in the style of the most famous French wines, capable of synthesizing elegance, complexity, and longevity. As a great lover of Burgundy wines, Lionel has brought to the estate a vineyard philosophy based on high plant density, low yields, and the production of grapes of the highest quality. During the manual harvest, the best bunches are selected, which are further sorted in the winery before being sent for vinification. The fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, using only indigenous yeasts, frequent pump-overs, and délestage. The wine ages in oak barriques, in order to achieve a full and perfect expressive harmony, according to the best traditions of Burgundy.
Cupano is a family-run winery that represents an excellence of the Montalcino territory. It was born from the love for this land by Ornella Tondini, a journalist, and Lionel Cousin, a director and cinematographer, who in the 1990s decided to leave Paris and their professions to move to Tuscany. In 1994, they purchased Podere Centine, located in the southwest area of the Montalcino hill, near the ancient village of Camigliano. The property had been abandoned for over 40 years and offered a virgin land that had never known the use of chemicals and modern industrial agriculture. An ideal land to start from scratch and create a farm oriented towards the production of great wines.
The estate covers a total of 35 hectares, of which just over six are dedicated to vineyards and the rest to olive groves, arable land, and woods, in order to preserve the natural biodiversity of the place. In the countryside, the principles of organic farming are followed, also utilizing practices of biodynamics. The vineyards occupy a beautiful hilly area, characterized by sunny exposures and sandy and clayey soils, rich in pebbles, an ancient legacy of the old riverbed of the Ombrone, which now flows in the valley below the hill. The climate is mild and breezy, caressed by marine breezes that rise towards the inland of the Tyrrhenian coast. The vines have been predominantly planted with Sangiovese grosso, but there are also small parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, which have adapted very well to the place.
The first Cupano labels were released in 2000, with the idea of creating great aging reds in the style of the most famous French wines, capable of synthesizing elegance, complexity, and longevity. As a great lover of Burgundy wines, Lionel has brought to the estate a vineyard philosophy based on high plant density, low yields, and the production of grapes of the highest quality. During the manual harvest, the best bunches are selected, which are further sorted in the winery before being sent for vinification. The fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, using only indigenous yeasts, frequent pump-overs, and délestage. The wine ages in oak barriques, in order to achieve a full and perfect expressive harmony, according to the best traditions of Burgundy.
