When I first tasted this wine a few years ago in an Amarone tasting, Amarone was still within my scope of interest and the Monte Cristi seemed like one of the most elegant of the lot. My problem with Amarone these days is not that it's too sweet (which it is, but you can work around that with the right food match, you know, blue cheese), but rather the same problem I have with any ripe, highly extracted wine. Those wines that are appealing, impressive, perhaps flattering but with very little mystery in them. It's like playing a guitar through a giant amp: you get a big sound but it doesn't guarantee that you'll rock.
Anyway. This is still dark-colored, but browning, with a raisen-y, chocolate-y nose. Full and fruity, with that Amarone sweetness that just brakes just in time and actually gains grip in glass. If you enjoy Amarone, go for it, it's quite good. (Apr. 28, 2008)
Shaked imported Castellani and sold this wine for about 180-200 NIS, some 3-4 years ago. They've stopped carrying the winery, presumably because it didn't garner enough Parker points.
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