Luigi Ferrando ‘Etichetta Nera’ Carema 2019

This exceptional and rare wine is produced only in the finest vintages. It comes from a special selection of grapes harvested from several particularly well-placed parcels within the appellation (frequently from the Silanc and Siei vineyard sites). Aged for at least three years prior to bottling, the levage is done primarily in small barrels, only a small percentage of which are new. One hundred of the three hundred cases produced are dedicated to the US market, augmented by a small amount of magnums.

The best wine you probably never had. Farming at the Northern end of Piedmont, Ferrando Carema is the consummate insider’s wine. So esteemed by his equally esteemed importer Neal Rosenthal, Carema is Rosenthal’s single favorite wine in the entire world. Words like “breathaking” “elegant” and “graceful” are bandied about so often that you can be immune when they are so richly deserved. But Carema is the real deal and the benchmark for Alpine nebbiolo. The Etichetta Nera is produced only in the best vintages from a selection of the familys best parcels. Like the Etichetta Bianca, it was aged for 38 months before being bottled last December. The only difference between the two is that this wine is aged only in smaller French oak only a minor percentage of which are new. As the name implies, this cuve has a much richer and darker tonality than the Etichetta Bianca. The fruit has a more concentrated and sweeter edge, with a darker color, slight animal undertone, and sweet, medicinal spice. The tannins are also a bit stronger in the Nera, but are sweeter and offset by the presence of greater material. While you can certainly drink this wine today, those who wait patiently will be rewarded for their perseverance.