2008 Kurni

The 2008 Marche Rosso Kurni is quite unusual in this vintage. The wine comes across as rather compact in its fruit, which accentuates the sweetness of the fruit and the French oak. In a blind tasting the 2008 could easily be mistaken for a sweet red dessert wine. Let's hope 2008 turns out be an anomaly for one of the Marche's most famous reds. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. Oasi degli Angeli is one of Italy's most ambitious wineries. Over the years proprietors Eleonora Rossi and Marco Casolanetti have fashioned some of the country's most fascinating reds. Prices have climbed along the way, culminating with the release of a new wine, Kupra, last year at an eye-popping $350 a bottle. Understandably, no one wants to be underpaid for the results of their hard work, but such a pricing strategy creates a very high bar with no safety net. When a difficult vintage like 2008 comes along, well, the results can be devastating. I sincerely hope these new releases from Oasi degli Angeli represent a temporary setback, and that the winery will be able to return to their customary high level of quality in the very near future. Importer: Vinity Wine Company, Emeryville, CA; tel. (510) 601-6010