2017 Luigi Ferrando "Etichetta Bianca" Carema Magnum

Have you been in love with Barolo and Barbaresco years and you're ready for something new? This is alpine Nebbiolo from the Carema DOCG in the far North of Piedmont. We've written before about the hauntingly floral, elegant wines of Luigi Ferrando. In some ways a big fish in a small pond, (he farms 3ha which seems small until you learn the entire appellation is only 16ha) he has nevertheless made the best case for the delicate high-altitude Nebbiolo of any living winemaker. The vines are situated in a perfect south-facing exposition just south of Mont Blanc. The beauty of these wines is that they offer the intense rose petal and tar aromatics of Barolo, but with the finesse and elegance of Burgundy. Produced exclusively from the Nebbiolo grape planted in a series of vineyards that sit beneath the Swiss Alp's Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco). These grapes sit in a broad amphitheatre with full southern exposure overlooking the river, Dora Baltea, that runs from the snow-capped mountains south through the Valle d'Aosta into the northwest of Piedmont.  In the cellar he's a devout traditionalist, using long ageing three-year ageing periods in neutral botti making the perfumed elegance of his wines all the more surprising. If you love Nebbiolo for its floral complexity rather than its power, these are wines you can't miss. Think Premier Cru Burgundy meets Nebbiolo in the Swiss Alps. Drink if you like Giacomo Conterno, Bruno Giacosa, or ArPePe.Â

This DOCG appellation is extremely small, and we are proud of whatever we can get our hands on of Luigi Ferrando's hauntingly elegant Carema wines. Ferrando is the undisputed king of Carema, and owns nearly 3ha of the only 16ha of planted grapes in the reigon. A devout traditionalist, the wines are aged in a mix of old, large Slovenian barrels and neutral, smaller barrel for 30-36 months before bottling. 4800 bottles for the United States.