Community Tasting Note

forceberry wrote:

Saturday, June 17, 2023 - 100% Caberlot, supposedly a natural cross of Merlot and an unknown variety - thought to be Cabernet Franc by some sources, hence the name Caber(net/Mer)lot. Fermented in stainless steel. Aged for 22 months in French oak barriques (70%) new. Bottled exclusively in magnums. Tasted from magnum #1235. 13,5% alcohol.

Deep and moderately opaque black cherry color with an evolved brick-red hue. The nose feels ripe, dark-toned and quite impactful with open aromas of sweet blackcurrants and ripe black cherries, some tobacco, a little bit of bilberries and other juicy dark forest fruits, light toasty oak tones, a hint of peppery spice, a touch of evolved meaty character and a whiff of cocoa. The wine feels ripe, rich and slightly sweet-toned with a full body and intense, still relatively youthful flavors of blueberries and blackcurrants, some dark plummy tones, a little bit of toasty mocha oak, light woody notes of savory oak spice, a hint of cocoa and a touch of blueberry. Even close to 20 years old, the wine still retains very impressive and quite tightly-knit structure with its high acidity and rather assertive, quite chewy and moderately grippy tannins. The finish is ripe, juicy and quite grippy with a long and intense aftertaste of dark plums and ripe blueberries, some toasty oak tones, a little bit of blackcurrant, light nuances of tobacco, evolved hints of earth and pruney dark fruits and a touch of licorice root.

An impressively structured and intensely flavored Super-Tuscan. Although the wine might be from an exceedingly rare variety (or not, as the genetic parents of Caberlot are yet to be confirmed), it didn't feel particularly characterful or unique from the flavor perspective; instead the wine seemed more or less like a rather typical Cab-driven Super-Tuscan with its dark-toned, blackcurrant-heavy fruit flavors and moderately noticeable oak influence. However, there's no denying that the quality of the wine is still very good: the fruit flavors are pure, vibrant and remarkably intense - showing relatively little tertiary characteristics despite the +15 years of age - and the stern structure makes the wine feel focused and muscular, yet not too aggressive, tough or rustic in any way. Yes, this is a modern, slightly blockbuster-ish Super-Tuscan - but it is pretty darn good at that. Seeing how the wine came across so youthful at this point, I have no doubts it will continue to evolve and improve for another decade or two. Maybe not the most traditional Tuscan red out there, but still highly recommended.

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