View From the Cellar

• By John Gilman
  Nov/Dec 2021, Issue #96, More Recent Vintages of Il Carnasciale’s Beautiful Il Caberlot IGT

  (Il Caberlot- Podere Il Carnasciale) Subscribe to see review text.

• By John Gilman
  Jul/Aug 2021, Issue #94, Recently-Tasted Italian Wines Summer 2021

  (Il Caberlot- Podere Il Carnasciale) Subscribe to see review text.

The World of Fine Wine

• December 2014, Issue #46 (link)

  (Il Carnasciale Il Caberlot) Subscribe to see review text.

JancisRobinson.com

• By Walter Speller
  10/2/2014 (link)

  (Il Carnasciale, Il Caberlot IGT Toscana Red) Subscribe to see review text.

View From the Cellar

• By John Gilman
  Jan/Feb 2012, Issue #37, Italian Wines Off the Beaten Path - Looking a Bit Further Afield For Vinous Fireworks

  (Il Caberlot- Il Carnasciale (served from magnum)) Subscribe to see review text.

Vinous

• By Antonio Galloni
  In a Tuscan State of Mind (Oct 2010) (link)

  (Podere Il Carnasciale Il Caberlot) Subscribe to see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  12/15/2010 (link)

  (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.