We held this bottle of Sangiovese Brunello for almost a year before forcing ourselves to crack it. It now sits empty on the shelf like a funereal urn- a remembrance of what was. We popped this bottle on the occasion of our second anniversary of existence on the web. We knew it would be great. It's ruby-purple and the nose is just divine- we recall feeling hesitant to even drink it for fear of a let down. But we did drink it, and it was rich.

Good, old James Suckling over at Wine Spectator desccribed it as "big, chewy and delicious" and crowed that it "opens with

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beautiful, multidimensional aromas of ripe berries, mushrooms and chestnuts." The chestnuts bit might be off-- we thought there was a nice bit of barrel-- but otherwise he nailed it. In the mouth it was silky, it had this wonderful texture that just stroked the gums and cheeks. No doubt this wine has plenty of aging time ahead of it and we sure would like to see where it would go; yet, only those of an iron will or absent mind are likely to be able to resist the temptation to pop this $125 bottle open. (Rating ****3/4)

To read more about this wine, surf to http://www.castellobanfi.com

Reviewed 06/15/01