Cantina dei Produttori Nebbiolo di Carema Etichetta Bianca 'Carema Riserva' 2018
Alto Piemonte
Regular price
$35.99
Sale price
$39.99
2018 Produttori di Carema Riserva nyr
Carema, Alto Piemonte
95 pts Vinous Galloni
The 2016 Carema Riserva is another knock-out effort from the Produttori di Carema, the local cooperative that has really been on fire these last few vintages. Open-knit and inviting, but with all the complexity that is so typical of the appellation, the 2016 is superb. Crushed flowers, mint, sweet tobacco, cedar and licorice are all woven together in a super-expressive Carema that offers tons of complexity in a relatively accessible style for a young wine from the appellation. The Riserva is a selection of the best casks in the cellar, with the wine aged for an added year in cask, so three years’ in neutral oak in total. That extra year in oak vis-à-vis the Classico does take with it some of the fruit while emphasizing more savory and mineral qualities. Power and finesse come together so well in this textbook Carema.
Carema is a Nebbiolo-based wine valued for its perfume and elegance, but it also has the structure and acidity to age for decades. Compared to their brethren further south and east in Barolo, the wines have a refinement and elegance Barolo just can't match, especially with global warming at play in most vintages. The aromatic fireworks here are outstanding, and very specific to the Nebbiolo grown in this unique Carema terroir can show (tar, leather, fall leaves, roses). Great now, you can also age this beauty for decades in the cellar!
The vines are planted on steep stone terraces that reflect the sun and maintain the heat of the day during the night. The vines are trained on pergola-like cross beams locally named "topie," onto which the vines are tied down firmly to keep them from being broken by the strong winds. These topie also allow for maximum exposure to the sun, helping to draw out the harvest for as long as possible, thereby taming the grapes’ high acids that would otherwise overwhelm the palate. The wines are 100% Nebbiolo from the local clones nebbiolo spanna, picutener, meaning “tender stem,” and pugnet, meaning “fist-like,” a reference to the compact shape of the bunches. The minimum aging requirement for these wines is 4 years, of which two years have to pass in large oak or chestnut botti.
Carema, Alto Piemonte
The Carema Riserva is a selection of the best barrels of those also made for the Carema Classico - just aged an additional year.
- 100% Nebbiolo
- Abv 12.5 – 13.5%
- Altitude about 1,200 feet a.s.l.
- Fermented in stainless steel and/or cement for twenty to thirty days with a 12 day maceration on the kins.
- Aged for three years in oak casks ranging from 15 to 50 HL.
95 pts Vinous Galloni
The 2016 Carema Riserva is another knock-out effort from the Produttori di Carema, the local cooperative that has really been on fire these last few vintages. Open-knit and inviting, but with all the complexity that is so typical of the appellation, the 2016 is superb. Crushed flowers, mint, sweet tobacco, cedar and licorice are all woven together in a super-expressive Carema that offers tons of complexity in a relatively accessible style for a young wine from the appellation. The Riserva is a selection of the best casks in the cellar, with the wine aged for an added year in cask, so three years’ in neutral oak in total. That extra year in oak vis-à-vis the Classico does take with it some of the fruit while emphasizing more savory and mineral qualities. Power and finesse come together so well in this textbook Carema.
Carema is a Nebbiolo-based wine valued for its perfume and elegance, but it also has the structure and acidity to age for decades. Compared to their brethren further south and east in Barolo, the wines have a refinement and elegance Barolo just can't match, especially with global warming at play in most vintages. The aromatic fireworks here are outstanding, and very specific to the Nebbiolo grown in this unique Carema terroir can show (tar, leather, fall leaves, roses). Great now, you can also age this beauty for decades in the cellar!
The vines are planted on steep stone terraces that reflect the sun and maintain the heat of the day during the night. The vines are trained on pergola-like cross beams locally named "topie," onto which the vines are tied down firmly to keep them from being broken by the strong winds. These topie also allow for maximum exposure to the sun, helping to draw out the harvest for as long as possible, thereby taming the grapes’ high acids that would otherwise overwhelm the palate. The wines are 100% Nebbiolo from the local clones nebbiolo spanna, picutener, meaning “tender stem,” and pugnet, meaning “fist-like,” a reference to the compact shape of the bunches. The minimum aging requirement for these wines is 4 years, of which two years have to pass in large oak or chestnut botti.