Beverage Dynamics:  Rated as Classic: a great wine. "Dense, with concentrated, balanced aromas of prune, date and polished oak. Full and compact, delivering layers of ripe fruit and fine, soft tannins that give a light pull on the long, long finish. A super Amarone, with elegance and length. Like cashmere. Drink now through 2012."  Feb 2009

Winery:  "Strong garnet red colour, sometimes with orange nuances due to maturation. Very clean bouquet, of undergrowth, tart black cherry and plum preserved in alcohol, spicy, cinnamon and slight pepper, liquorice and old leather. Robust and complex body, it reminds you of all its scents, very well-balanced, slightly tannic."

Wired For Wine:  According to Bernard Sun, the beverage director for Jean-Georges Management, "Amarone is a great wine."  We couldn't agree more.  That could be why this particularly fantastic blend has a given name which means "five stars" (Cinque Stelle)...  Open that first gorgeously dense bottle of Michele Castellani Amarone Classico Cinque Stelle and prepare for greatness while you enjoy a platter of bresaola-wrapped persimmons with arugala.  The lovely juxtaposition of the fruit and pepper of the arugala will open the concentrated flavors of this Italian red like a dream unfolding.  As for the main event of the meal, the beautiful balance and myriad layers of this Michele Castellani require hearty meat and game dishes.  The wow factor in a standing rib roast with porcini and bacon sauce is perfect for the earthiness of this Amarone.  If you prefer to touch on the ripe fruit in this Italian stunner, our favorite is roast goose with chestnuts, prunes and Armagnac.  Che fortuna!  Equally delectable but much less demanding on  the cook is sauteed rib lamb chops with a drop-dead delicious Béarnaise butter.  After you've gotten past the entree, you'll be looking for a reason to continue savoring the long, long finish.  Our suggestion: another bottle with a nutty, robust Grana Padano cheese.  Or, as the vintner says, this wine "is unrivalled when sipped in good company at the end of the meal."  Hanno ottenuto tale diritto, winelovers!

Size:  750ml
Varietal:  78% Corvina and Corvinone Veronese, 18% Rondinella, 4% Molinara
Alcohol:  15.5%
Ageing:   About 3 years in 60% Slavonian oak barrels of 5000 litres and 40% French barriques.
Region:  Valpolicella, Veneto, Italy
Limited production:  1,200 dozen