THIS IS WINE
Above: Podere il Carnasciole in the mountains of the Chianti Valdarno region. Photography courtesy Podere Il Carnasciale.
Podere Il Carnasciale Il Caberlot, demi-magnum ‘SOMMELLERIA’ 2017 €136.15, exclusively represented by Farsonsdirect
I
l Caberlot is a grape variety discovered in the 1960s by Remigo Bordini in the Veneto region and is believed to be derived from genetically mutated Cabernet Franc with Merlot characteristics. Together with the Rogosky’s they chose to plant the grape extensively on galestro soils at their hilltop estate of Podere il Carnasciole in the mountains of the Chianti Valdarno region as a bold endeavour into the Super Tuscan world. Indeed, christening the new variety on the estate a Sassicaia bottle of wine was fortuitously buried under the first vine planted in 1986. Organic methods and meticulous handwork are the order of the day in this one to watch and taste estate.
Il Caberlot Sommelleria 2017 (bottle no. 1189) has an intense bouquet of ripe wild berries, wood tones, tobacco, leather, leaves, bell pepper and tomato. The attack holds true with a primary profile of wild cherries and blackberry intertwined with baked spices, citrus orchard blooms and stems, Mediterranean herbs, cassis, liquorice, vanilla and clove in the finish. A familiar Cabernet Franc-powered racy reserve and supreme elegance defy a hot vintage normally associated with sharper and steeper tannins, and yet the structure shows this can age effortlessly for decades and indeed is in the beginning of its marvelous evolution. A few hours breathing led to a nicely fleshedout mid palate with a longer more soothing
finish wrapped up in sun-dried end-of-summer dark stoned fruit with a vivid concentration, finesse and Figeac hill gravel-like complexity. Endive, bitter herbs, cocoa nibs, dry mint, olive stones, boysenberry all make their mark as does an elegant and bespoke schist and dusty stone finish. Overall beautifully intense aromas which can be enjoyed on the young side if you prefer the ethereal energy or allowed to breathe or cellar to get a more palatized feel to the initial bounty holding your grasp. The soaring aromatics and shape remind me of Hubert de Bouard's wine style of Angelus fame. Its’ crowning achievement, a nod to my equal affection to Burgundy as much as to Bordeaux, is that this is all from one stunning grape variety rather than a blend.
Supplier details: Farsonsdirect has a vast selection of Italian and French wines. Farsonsdirect, The Brewery, Mdina Road, B'Kara. Tel 00356 2381 4444. Web farsonsdirect.com 46