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Community Tasting Notes (11) Avg Score: 93.1 points

  • 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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  • From Magnum. This special wine from a special grape, the Cabernet. On one hand a teasing wine with fruit, some earthiness and roundness. But also good acidity and length and tension because of nice bitters. A high quality wine.

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  • A very special birthday dinner (Amsterdam): A magnum, we (Nadine and I) noticed an ascending acidity so we suggested a sangiovese and we added merlot for the creamy expression. That wasn't correct, it is the very rare caberlot (CF and merlot).
    A very deep colour, an enormous concentration with very fresh fruit, lovely bitters, edible tannins and fraicheur from the start to the very long finish. The wine has the constitution to develop further.

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  • Il Caberlot Vertical at Summa 2022 (Weingut Alois Lageder, Margreid, South Tyrol): Compared to the 2001 there is more sweetness on the nose and on the palate. However, the fruit does not come without some bellpepper and grassy notes, too. In the mouth the wine is more rounded and feels a bit more "right bank". Structured and with some hardness on the finish.

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  • Opened, but not decanted, for over an hour before pouring. Notes of cedar and spice, on a long finish.

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The World of Fine Wine

JancisRobinson.com

Vinous

  • By Antonio Galloni
    Tuscany: The Best of 2005 and 2006 (Jun 2008), (See more on Vinous...)

    (Podere Il Carnasciale Il Caberlot) Login and sign up and see review text.

RJonWine.com

  • By Richard Jennings
    2/6/2013, (See more on RJonWine.com...) 97 points

    (Podere Il Carnasciale Il Caberlot) From magnum - very dark red violet color; appealing, refined, roasted plum, black pepper, charcoal, dark Provencal herbs, lavender nose; delicious, roasted black fruit, black pepper, mineral, charcoal, tart black currant palate, reminiscent of a young Chave Hermitage; needs 2-3 years and will go 30-35 years; long finish 97+ points

Garagiste

  • By Jon Rimmerman
    12/15/2010, (See more on Garagiste...)

    (IL CABERLOT) Il Caberlot Vertical Dear Friends, Through years of trial, tribulation, exploration, error, wonderment and over 1,000,000 words transcribed to keyboard, I'm allowed a certain open door in the vinous world and most of that results in the ability to offer you a cache of the unusual and undiscovered. In that spirit, today’s vertical is a privilege and an honor for me to offer and I’ve saved it for a time when good tidings come in many shapes and sizes. Today, that shape and size is a magnum – three magnums to be precise. Il Caberlot may be the most famous Italian wine you’ve never heard of. Exceedingly rare, precious and unique, this singular wine is produced from the only vineyard of its type in the world (planted with the Caberlot grape) - it is only produced in magnum and the winery parts with every bottle they have in the blink of an eye. Having tasted vintages back to 1990, it is worth every penny for us to acquire and for you to experience. First discovered in Northern Italy 40-50 years ago, Caberlot was identified as a bizarre mix of Cabernet Franc and Merlot – almost as though Haut Brion fused its elements into one vine. It has remained in isolation, in the nursery of Bordini and has been planted only once – at Il Carnasciale atop a miniscule one acre plateau on their Tuscan property (thus the rarity). As legend goes, the first plantings of Caberlot were intermingled and buried at Il Carnasciale with an unopened bottle of 1978 Sassicaia – telling indeed. Produced by the amazing Bettina Rogosky (now with the help of Peter Schilling and the poetic Moritz), Il Caberlot is a living legend. As far as vintages are concerned, 2006 and 2007 are the most noteworthy overall campaigns in Tuscany since 1988 and 1990. The interesting fact for Il Caberlot is the rarity and worth of the 2005 – a vintage the winery (and those that have tasted it) believe could be among the finest they’ve ever produced. How do I properly describe this wine? It isn’t easy, even for someone as verbose as I. The wine cannot be placed as anything but itself – spice and the wild hillside mix with a green, Franc-like note that often pervades in early youth but don’t be fooled – this is more terroir than worry and time turns Il Caberlot into a crisscross of wine humanity that touches the nerve and the soul while expressing a supreme elegance and utterly specific slice of Mercatale that its neighbors fail to achieve. James Suckling has described this aromatic as “lemongrass” and that is quite on-point For me it is closest to a wonderful fresh bowl of Tom Yum (with kaffir lime leaf, coriander and Thai basil) inhaled with a touch of Ricola and serpentine red fruit woven in for good measure. You will undoubtedly find other dimensions in Il Caberlot but that is exactly what motivates Bettina in each vintage – to deliver something that is singular to everyone that tastes it. As far as reviews, so much has been written about Il Caberlot that the list is too long to re-print (you can look up WS, WA, etc along with any number of European journals). In addition, I would check community notes on all Il Caberlot vintages to get a broader idea of the style. In the end, if you purchase First Growth Bordeaux, Masseto, La Ricolma, Solaia, et al, this wine deserves its rightful place in your cellar as it has the uncanny potential to eclipse all but the very few. It is also a renown blind wine in a tasting of heavy-hitters. I realize Il Caberlot is expensive but so so is 2009 La Mission Haut Brion? This is one wine where the discussion of pricing makes me wince as its educational potential serves to eclipse our ordinary reservations with wine cost. In addition, the US has some of the more attractive tariffs on Il Caberlot in the world (granted, we only receive a handful of 1.5’s) – individual magnums routinely command $300-400+ in Europe, and they increase in value quickly (the 2004 has already eclipsed and so on). This vertical parcel is directly from the cellars at Il Carnasciale with their personal good tidings and wishes for a wonderful new year. They have never before offered a three bottle set in this fashion, which makes today’s offer even more interesting. EXTREMELY LIMITED – only a few dozen magnums are exported to the US every year... Il Caberlot Magnum Vertical (3 x 1.5lt – Il Carnasciale) - 1 x 2005 1 x 2006 1 x 2007 (please note: this is not Carnasciale “Il Carnasciale”, that is in the range. In addition, while you may be able to piece together each vintage of this vertical, it would not be with this level of cellar-direct provenance which is the most important element of all) To order: niki@garagistewine.com This parcel is set to depart from Mercatale – it will arrive in early February (please check OARS for local pick up after Feb 15th). It will ship during the Spring shipping season. Out of state orders will be held for free under ideal storage conditions (56 degrees/70%humidity) until shipping is possible. Locals may pick up at their leisure. For current local pick up and arrival/ship information, please see your OARS link below (at the bottom of this offer) - don’t know how to access your OARS? Simply click the link and see your account. You can also paste the link into your browser. If you are having trouble with your link or your account, please contact: support@garagistewine.com NO SALES TO RETAILERS OR WHOLESALERS Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Click here to view the status of your orders in O.A.R.S.

NOTE: Some content is property of The World of Fine Wine and JancisRobinson.com and Vinous and RJonWine.com and Garagiste.

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