{"product_id":"michele-castellani-2019-colle-cristi-amarone-della-valpolicella-classico-750ml","title":"Michele Castellani 2019 Colle Cristi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 750ml","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eMichele Castellani is a genuine family-owned operation in Marano della Valpolicella, tending 17 hectares of vineyard with the kind of hands-on attention that shows clearly in the finished wine. Colle Cristi is the estate's serious, single-site Amarone bottling, made in the traditional Amarone della Valpolicella Classico style — grapes dried on straw mats for months before pressing, concentrating sugar, flavor, and structure well beyond what a standard Valpolicella red could ever achieve. The 2019 vintage is a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara, bottled at a genuinely powerful 15.5% ABV.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe critical reception has been consistently strong across multiple major publications. James Suckling awarded 93 Points, and Vinous matched with a 93+ score from Eric Guido, who described the wine as \"dark and understated in the glass, mixing plum sauce and grilled herbs with a dusting of cocoa and dried roses,\" noting it \"sweeps across the palate, opening with a pretty inner sweetness that's quickly offset by a saturation of tart red and blue berry fruits,\" with \"a flourish of salted licorice and clove\" lingering \"as the 2019 tapers off, closing with primary concentration and grippy tannins\" — recommending a drinking window of 2027 through 2040. Wine Spectator scored the wine 90 Points, rounding out a genuinely consistent, multi-publication endorsement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis is a dense, patient Amarone built for real cellaring rather than immediate drinking — Guido's own recommended window pushes the wine's peak years out to 2027 and beyond, giving the substantial tannin structure time to properly integrate. This is genuinely serious Veneto wine from a respected family estate, showing the classic Amarone combination of dried dark fruit richness, savory herbal complexity, and real structural backbone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOrigins \u0026amp; Craftsmanship\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eMichele Castellani is a family-owned winery based in Marano della Valpolicella, in Italy's Veneto region, farming 17 hectares of estate vineyard. The winery is known for its Amarone and Valpolicella wines, produced using traditional regional methods.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eColle Cristi Amarone della Valpolicella Classico is made from a blend of Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara grapes, harvested and dried using the traditional appassimento method — laid out on straw mats or in drying lofts for months to concentrate sugars and flavor before pressing and fermentation, in keeping with classic Amarone della Valpolicella Classico production. The 2019 vintage is bottled at 15.5% ABV, with approximately 8 grams per liter residual sugar.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCritics Reviews\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJames Suckling — 93 Points\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEric Guido, Vinous — 93+ Points:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The 2019 Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Colle Cristi is dark and understated in the glass, mixing plum sauce and grilled herbs with a dusting of cocoa and dried roses. This sweeps across the palate, opening with a pretty inner sweetness that's quickly offset by a saturation of tart red and blue berry fruits. A flourish of salted licorice and clove lingers as the 2019 tapers off, closing with primary concentration and grippy tannins.\" Drinking window: 2027-2040.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTasting Profile\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNose\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDark and understated, with plum sauce and grilled herbs leading, dusted with cocoa and dried rose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePalate\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA pretty inner sweetness opens the palate, quickly offset by a saturation of tart red and blue berry fruit. Salted licorice and clove linger as the wine tapers off, closing with primary concentration.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFinish\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGrippy, structured tannins close the wine out — genuinely built for extended cellaring, with real potential to develop further complexity over the coming decade-plus.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuick Overview\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cdiv dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth scope=\"col\"\u003eCategory\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth scope=\"col\"\u003eDetails\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAppellation\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eAmarone della Valpolicella Classico DOCG, Veneto, Italy\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVariety\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCorvina · Rondinella · Molinara\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVintage\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2019\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProducer\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMichele Castellani\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEstate\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMarano della Valpolicella — 17 hectares\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProduction\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTraditional appassimento (grape drying) method\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eABV\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e15.5%\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCritics\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eJames Suckling 93 · Vinous 93+ (Eric Guido) · Wine Spectator 90\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStyle \/ Identity\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eA dense, structured, dried-fruit-driven Amarone built for genuine cellaring\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAromas \u0026amp; Flavors\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePlum sauce, grilled herbs, cocoa, dried rose, salted licorice, clove\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDrinking Window\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e2027 through 2040\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBottle Size\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e750ml\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairings\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBraised or roasted red meat\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAged, hard cheeses (Parmigiano-Reggiano, aged pecorino)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRich, savory stews and ragùs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDark chocolate desserts\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Breakthru","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45159860109378,"sku":null,"price":55.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0363\/8621\/files\/19EEA192-0B62-4E24-A86C-F1D1B0FAA06F_1_201_a.jpg?v=1788623294","url":"https:\/\/www.blackwellswines.com\/products\/michele-castellani-2019-colle-cristi-amarone-della-valpolicella-classico-750ml","provider":"Blackwell's Wines \u0026 Spirits","version":"1.0","type":"link"}