Brunello di Montalcino Cru

This is a very special, unique, once in a lifetime wine experience, a WINEQUALIA exclusive, created specifically for wine collectors or true Italian wine lovers.

This tour features two top rated, award winning, boutique Brunello di Montalcino wineries, both fully organic and one also certified biodynamic: PODERE LE RIPI and CUPANO.

During this signature, premium WINEQUALIA private tour, you will get an in depth, private vineyard and cellar visit at PODERE LE RIPI, Francesco Illy’s (yes, Italy’s coffee Baron) biodynamic, award winning estate. This visit will last approximately two and half hours, personally accompanied by enologist Sebastian Nasello, recently voted as Italy’s premier young enologist (a Gambelli Award Winner), to visit the vineyard and the Golden Cellar of the estate. Afterwards you will enjoy a vertical tasting of three of the best vintages of Brunello di Montalcino Riserva from this incredible estate, as well as taste a very unique, extremely limited production Rosso di Montalcino called Bonsai, coming from the highest vine density vineyards in the world (62.500 plants per hectare). You will also have a top Italian wine critic at your side, for in running commentary – with as little or as much intervention as you desire – on the wines featured in the tasting as well as invaluable, impartial buying and cellaring advice. Then it is time for a well deserved lunch at a wonderful, intimate, gourmet restaurant – a new entry into the dining scene of Montalcino -featuring produce coming directly from the property. In the afternoon, you will visit the CUPANO estate – another extremely limited production, fully organic, boutique producer of Brunello di Montalcino expressing the true sense of the word terrior – and taste a selection of wines in the company of the estate owners/winemaker – Lionel Cousin and Ornella Tondini. The CUPANO estate sits on a rolling plain at the far edges of Montalcino. Off in the distance you can make out the Banfi castle as well as the medieval town of Camigliano. Ornella Tondini, Italian, and Lionel Cousin, French, have decided to grow their grapes organically, and their incredible, terrior driven wines – Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino and their Bordeaux style blend, Ombrone Sant’Antimo – embody this choice, featuring an extreme purity, complexity and sense of place, in a word – terrior. CUPANO produces just over 1,100 cases yearly, so their wines are extremely difficult to come by outside of Italy. During your visit, you will try, based on CUPANO’S availability: the blockbuster Brunello di Montalcino 2010 Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino 2009 and Ombrone Sant’Antimo DOC 2006. All of the wines opened and tasted, are yours to be re corked and taken away at the end of your visit to CUPANO.