Some things in life are not really very rare, but still hugely expensive as a result of marketing and trends. Take diamonds for instance. Walk into any good jewelry store in the world and take your pick of hundreds in all shapes, sizes and quality level. Yet they are very expensive. In the wine world examples include classified First Growths from France, which are not really rare as the Chateaus produce thousands of cases per year. Their price is supported by reputation and the willingness of well off people to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars for a single bottle of wine.
Let’s take a look at a truly rare commodity in the world of wine, the Caberlot grape. And it is something that will cost you far less that that Bordeaux First Growth.
The Caberlot grape is a natural cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, discovered just outside Verona, Italy nearly forty years ago. The discoverer, Remigio Bordini, has only allowed one vineyard the right to plant the type. The vineyard and winery is Il Carnasciale in Tuscany. To get a feel for the rarity consider that the original vineyard covered one acre. That’s it, in the world. The wine was only bottled in magnums, and only members of an exclusive club in Florence could get it, in the amount of a single magnum of Il Caberlot per member per year. Talk about rare.
Unitl 2005 you could not find this in the United States. Nowadays the vineyard has been expanded a bit, and they have added a second wine made with the Caberlot grape, called Carnasciale, which is sourced from younger vines. It is an easier bottle to find.
That magnum of Il Caberlot will set you back $300+, but again consider the rarity. It seems like a bargain compared to many super expensive bottles of wine that are easy to find and live on reputation.
We recently had a chance to try the Carnasciale, and it is excellent. Notes follow:
Wine: 2020 Carnasciale
Winery Location: Tuscany, Italy
Tasted By: Neil & Cheri Date: January 2025
Tasting Notes: the color is a dark purple red. the nose is full of rich fruit, with cherry, blackberry and plum. You get some oak and other nuances, but it is the fruit core which grabs your attention. That holds true on the palate as well, as the wine cascades into a beautiful finish. It is medium+ in body, and really delcious. It is also quite rare, although not nearly so much as it’s cousin, the Il Caberlot.
Price Point – around $100, although it varies and you might find it for less. We did.
Would We Buy It? –yes, as it is now resting in our cellar. It’s something most people will never have seen, and will come out at a tasting party in a few years. The wine is young and really should rest to reach its peak, although it is really good right now.
This is one of those cool things you run into every now and then in the wine world. We had never tried Caberlot. Now that we know more about it, I suspect we will buying some every now and then.
If you’d like to try a world class wine that is among the rarest on the planet, search out some Caberlot from Il Carnasciale.
A votre santé!
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