I was fortunate to buy a Double Magnum of this gorgeous Super Tuscan at a Christies auction a couple of years back for a very affordable sum of 65£. Bear in mind a double magnum is 3 liters so 4 bottles, also known as a Jeroboam. Big bottles are tons of fun and actually keep the wine better provided the bottle is stored properly. This one has been in my Eurocave for about 3 years, and was bought from a pristine cellar. Well I finally decided to crack open this beauty with my family up in snowy, Newcastle a few weeks ago. We had it with traditional Caribbean cuisine: Jerk, Brown Stew and Curry chicken with Rice and Gungo Peas. It actually went very well and would’ve been fine on its own. Il Carbonaione is made from an ancient clone of Sangiovese known as Lamole which is unique to the hills of Greve in Chianti. The wine is luscious, and surprisingly still bursting with fruit even after 13 years in bottle. It could easily be kept for another 5 years or longer, but was absolutely delicious now. Hints of cherry and cloves on the nose and smooth velvety tannins. You can find more recent vintages of this wine for about 30£ in the UK and between $50-60 in the US. It is not what I would consider an inexpensive wine by no means, but compared to the likes of other big name SuperTuscans like Sassicaia, Tignaello, Solaia, and Ornellaia, it looks like very good value. These retail for 2 and 3 times more per bottle. If you are looking for a special Italian red wine to share this holiday season, without spending a fortune well Il Carbonaione might not be a bad choice. My rating 94pts. Antonio Galloni from Wine Advocate also likes it:
In the Cellar # 0708 Jul 2008 |
Antonio Galloni | 93 | Drink: 2008 – 2017 | $49-$70 |
The estate’s 1997 Carbonaione is sweet, ripe and full-bodied, but with plenty of supporting structure underneath. Complex notes of tobacco, leather, sweet herbs and spices have developed in bottle, rounding out this soft-textured, caressing Carbonaione. As is often the case with wines from warm vintages, provenance is especially critical. Impeccably stored bottles have as much as another decade of prime drinking ahead of them. Anticipated maturity: 2008-2017. |