Ferrando, Nebbiolo "Etichetta Bianca" Carema, Piedmont, Italy 2016

100% Nebbiolo

If there is any wine that defines the Ferrando “oeuvre” it is this one: the brilliant rendition of Nebbiolo that is the white label Carema. The wine reveals the most elegant, delicate, and complex characteristics of the Nebbiolo grape with a surprising capacity to age. We have witnessed this wine at thirty-plus years of age displaying vibrant, seductive qualities that are simply astonishing.

Produced exclusively from Nebbiolo planted in a series of vineyards that sit beneath Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) in a broad amphitheater with full southern exposure overlooking the Dora Baltea river. The vines are trained in a special way on pergola (known as “tupin” in local dialect) to obtain maximum exposure to the sun in this high altitude district and are planted to soils that are dominated by slate.

The appellation of Carema is extremely small: only 16 hectares (about 40 acres) are planted to the vine. The Ferrando family controls 2.5 hectares of the appellation. The grapes are harvested during the second half of October, then they undergo two weeks in stainless steel before being racked into a mixture of large and small barrels for an extensive aging period of 30 to 36 months before being bottled (without filtration). By law, the Carema cannot be released before four years of aging.