Proprietors Marco Casolanetti and Eleonora Rossi continue to fashion one of the most distinctive wines being made in Italy today. Kurni is 100% Montepulciano made from partially dried grapes and aged in new French oak. Stylistically, Kurni is Marche’s answer to top-flight Amarone. The 2006 is an exceptionally opulent, seamless wine loaded with jammy dark fruit, sweet French oak, new leather and cassis. The Montepulciano tannins lurk in the background and also serve to give the wine a sense of balance that might otherwise be missing. The 2006 is another in a long series of successful vintages from the Marche’s most ambitious estate. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2021. Importer: Vinity Wine Company, Emeryville, CA; tel. (510) 601-6010