For centuries, Carema’s Nebbiolo has been prized for its perfume and elegance. In the Middle Ages, it was a favorite of the Savoy and French Royal Courts. But, in an all-too-common story, this once much larger appellation shrank to its present size after Phylloxera and the deprivations of two world wars led many of Carema’s growers to abandon their vineyards.

Carema owes its singular character to the meeting of the noble Nebbiolo and one of the wine world’s most challenging environments. Situated in northwestern Piemonte, the Dora Baltea Valley’s narrow opening into the Alps funnels cold, howling winds across the steep vineyards, which soar to nearly two thousand feet in elevation.

Over the centuries, Carema’s ingenious growers have countered this difficult climate by planting their vines on stone-walled, southeast-facing terraces to hold the glacially-deposited poor, rocky soil. The vines are trained on a pergola of stone pillars, topped with wooden cross beams to secure them against the strong winds.

All of these factors combine to fully ripen the grapes over a long growing season, creating Carema’s uniquely refined bouquet, nuance and texture.

And one estate is widely recognized as its crown jewel: Luigi Ferrando. As they have for 135 years, the Ferrando family makes its Caremas from pure old-vine Nebbiolo, vinified with native yeasts and aged for years in neutral large barrels called botti.

Whether you're drinking their flagship white-label (etichetta bianca) or the rare riserva-class black-label (etichetta nera), a Ferrando Carema is one of the great examples of Nebbiolo made in Northern Italy.