Brunello di Montalcino Cupano 2021 (750ML)

The 2021 season at Cupano opened with an April frost, and founder Lionel Cousins died shortly afterward. Andrea Polidoro, at the estate since 2014, carries on his work, keeping the house’s identity intact while making careful adjustments for a changing climate. This Brunello is all about texture: silky and almost oily in its glide, with a stony, mineral edge to aromas of violets, red plum and blood orange. Wild berries and tart raspberry fill the palate, framed by a cool, minty freshness, a touch of clove and a saline, faintly rusty note. The tannins are soft and fine, and the finish runs long. Critics put its opening anywhere from 2027 to 2030, with the longer estimate carrying it well into the 2040s. Serve it with pici and wild boar ragù, slow-roasted lamb shoulder, or aged pecorino.