Podere Il Carnasciale Il Caberlot, demi-magnum ‘SOMMELLERIA’ 2017

Il 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.

Frescobaldi Luce della Vite 2018

€109.34, exclusively represented by Charles Grech Ltd

Tenuta Luce lies southwest of Montalcino in the Val D’Orcia natural park region. The southwest exposure of its holding with cool nights and good elevation are perfect for the gentler full aromatic ripening of the Sangiovese vines on galestro or clay schists with the Merlot grown on lower-lying cool clay soils. An equal blend of both grapes marries the Brunello-esque aging potential and reserve with the soft palette filigree so loved of Merlot. 2018 is an impressive vintage in Tuscany as it is in France with hot days and cool night temperatures ensuring the right amount of ripening even if the slightly wetter weather in Montalcino called for a more classical take than the rest of the region.

Luce della Vite 2018 is all walnut, fig, mulberry and forest fruit-dense aromas matched by lush flavours on the entry of warm ripe red and dark berries to spice-laced purple flowers, stems, leaves and branches; ending in seething saffron clay-driven layers of undergrowth. The primary feel of this is the corpulence of Merlot, but the aromatic grace and prowess of Sangiovese soon holds its mark, with a candid complexity ranging from bright florals to brooding secondaries and a touch of dusty schist minerality in the finish.

Upon breathing, animal scents, Mediterranean herbs, warm cooking spices, milk chocolate, espresso, hazelnut gianduja, pipe tobacco all work towards an epic operatic finish.

This is lush, immediate, generous and yet complex and precise enough for serious aging. The bold blend caters for both lovers of the Brunello kind as much as for the more adventurous Bordeaux style symphonic complexity thrill seekers; making this a worthy addition to the Super Tuscan universe. From the panoply of beautiful wines Tenuta Luce has to offer, this is my favourite and 2018 does a splendid job of combining racy lift elements with nostalgic summer dolce vita quaffability.