Alto Piemonte's One & Only

Mostly Nebbiolo with around 30% Barbera and small portions of the local Neretta grape variety. Fermented and aged in stainless steel to preserve vivacious fruit personality.

About Ferrando Carema

There is no single estate that defines Alto Piemonte like Ferrando Carema. In the region of Canavese, sitting at the foot of Monte Bianco, these terraced vineyards of Carema are planted to Nebbiolo. The variety is portrayed with an alpine inflection different from Barolo and Barbaresco, but with a track record of aging that's completely on par.

Ferrando's vines sit in a south-facing amphitheater of slate soils overlooking the Dora Baltea river that runs through the Valle d'Aosta into northwestern Piedmont. Unlike their more famous southern neighbors, vines here are trained high up on pergola, or "Tupin," to harness maximum sunlight. The entirety of the Carema appellation reaches only 16 hectares of plantings, with Ferrando controlling just 2.5.

Importer Neal Rosenthal's words on Ferrando have always stuck with me, once declaring that if he was given only one wine to drink, it would be Carema. Bottles going back to the late 70's are renowned for their freshness and unparalleled clarity that belie the underlying power.

When Neal began to import European wines to the US in 1980, Ferrando was his very first. At that time, Carema was unknown here, and although the following is still relatively small versus that of Barolo, those who line their cellars with Conterno and Mascarello all know the secret of Alto Piemonte.