2003 La Carraia Umbria Fobiano

RJonWine.com

• By Richard Jennings
  8/8/2013, (See more on RJonWine.com...) 89 points

  (La Carraia Umbria Fobiano) Very dark red violet color; maturing, tart black currant, cedar, tart black fruit, sauteed mushroom, tobacco nose; mature, tart black currant, tar, tobacco palate with good acidity; medium-plus finish (70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon; 12 months in oak; 14% alcohol)

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  7/16/2007, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (FOBIANO) Italian Magnum #2 Dear Friends, I hope everyone had a great weekend, but... ...when it rains it pours. Magnums on a Monday? Not usually but this is a one-time deal so I took it. Another great opportunity on a magnum that will be just as comfortable in a party setting as it would be at a serious wine tasting - at a price that is pretty eye-popping for this level of critical banter. La Carraia’s Fobiano hails from a vineyard near Orvieto in Umbria. It has been consistently praised over the years as a sort of poor man’s Le Pin. From 60-70% Merlot and the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon (although I believe a very small percentage of Franc makes it in also), the wine is fermented in stainless to preserve the inky fruit and then it is transferred to a combination of old and new oak (a la Bordeaux). The hallmark of this wine is its silky intensity and deep-toned personality with a sultry but still large-scaled attack. Fresh pipe tobacco, smoke and a touch of licorice make this reminiscent of a combination of the 1997 and 1998 versions. With ample tannins and the structure to age, this is a magnum of top-tier wine at a price long ago abandoned by most of the world’s best producers. For a Bordeaux blend that’s never received less than 90pts from the Wine Advocate over most of the last decade (not many actual Bordeaux estates can make that claim), that’s about as good a deal as you will see. This set of magnums was completely hand-bottled from their best barrels of the 2003 (a vintage that played right into their hands in Umbria). Already praised in Europe with two of Italy’s highest honors (Gambero Rosso’s “Tre Bicchieri/GR3” and Veronelli’s “3-Star”) the wine is not available in the U.S. in this format and only a few dozen are available in Europe. If you want to be one of the only collector’s in the U.S. with this wine in magnum, now’s your chance. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for format rarity and excellent price/value for a wine of this quality. ONE SHIPMENT ONLY directly from the winery cellar with perfect provenance: 2003 La Carraia “Fobiano” 1.5lt Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Italy7940