Italy · Marche

Oasi Angeli

Oasi degli Angeli is a small estate in the Marche region of central Italy, producing Kurni — a single wine of extraordinary concentration and commercial ambition. Founded by Marco Casolanetti and Eleonora Rossi in 1997 in the Cupramarittima area near the Adriatic coast, the estate grows Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (locally called Morellone) in an extremely dense planting with severe yield restriction. Kurni averages $119 at auction across 100 lots, with top lots reaching $554. The wine was designed from inception to be a reference Montepulciano: harvested at extreme ripeness, fermented in contact with skins for over 50 days, and aged in new barriques. Upon release in the late 1990s it attracted scores of 96–98 from Robert Parker, propelling it to cult status and justifying prices that are extraordinary for the Marche, a region not otherwise known for luxury wine. Production is approximately 5,000 bottles annually from under 3 hectares of vines, and the combination of critical acclaim, micro-production, and unconventional Adriatic terroir has sustained a loyal collector base. Kurni represents a deliberate attempt to create an Italian cult wine from a previously overlooked variety and region.