2019 Cantina dei Produttori Nebbiolo di Carema Carema - Italy, Piedmont, Northern Piedmont, Carema (9/5/2023)
This is what I expect from Alto Piemonte. So pretty right now. Lovely aromas of field herbs, the signature eucalyptus and rose note I get with nebbiolo, forest floor, bright red fruit. A hint of cured meat and spices and tomato leaf as it unfolded more.
The palate is more of the same. Vibrant red fruits that are tart and juicy, the kiss of spice is on the finish.
This is medium bodied, high acid and medium, but fine grippy tannins. The tannin brushes off quickly, but has that slight umph that you'd expect from a nebbiolo,
I'd honestly be really curious to have this blind with the 2017 Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges that I was blinded with last night. They're similar, earthy with bright vibrant fruit. You'd probably be able to pick them apart due to the structure of the tannins, but it would be interesting.
Drink early (now) or hold for a few years, I'd love to see this wine develop some true tertiary notes. (93 points)
However, even though Carema is often bundled up with Alto Piemonte wines, it isn’t one. Alto Piemonte is the region located in the northeastern corner of Piedmont, whereas Carema is on the north-northwestern edge of Piedmont - nowhere near Alto Piemonte!
Thank you for the education Otto, I had no idea it was geographically different from Alto Piemonte. I see can understand why I see it often grouped together with Alto, then in the subtext is differentiated.
Not a big one, but noticeable enough. Of course it depends on the vintage - I’ve found that in better vintages both the wines are great, but in lesser vintages the regular Carema can be quite lithe, whereas the Riserva bottling often tends to pack more punch, comparatively. While both drink pretty well in their youth and can also be aged, the regular one is better fit for immediate consumption, whereas the Riserva bottling does not only keep, but also can evolve more noticeably with further aging.
I had the '15 Riserva a couple weeks ago and it was excellent on day 1 and with a touch more clarity and depth on day three. It really feels like a wine you can feel confident drinking young or old.
A bit of thread creep here, but I just discovered the Carema region a few months ago after tasting the 2016 Ferrando White label and was blown away. It was one of those Saturdays at the local wine shop where the owner opened the bottle to introduce me to this wine and honestly, I was speechless.
My research of the region showed only a few producers (Ferrando, Muraje, and the Produttori) so THANK YOU @Kevin_Diffley for posting this note and letting me know about this wine, I will have to seek some out.
We are also going to be in Piemonte In November and have three days of vineyard visits booked and I am debating adding a 4th to go to Carema and see if I could taste at the Produttori, Ferrando, and Muraje).
I’ve visited the village. Produttori has a small cantina in the town center (and the town is really small - you can basically walk across the whole town in like 5-10 minutes) and basically you can just pop in for a visit and taste through the wines without a prior note. All we did is we checked the place is open and went in and said hello. The vinification facilities are right behind the small shop.
Ferrando’s winery isn’t actually located in Carema, but in Ivrea. I guess it would be nice to contact them beforehand for a visit. Be prepared that the wine availability might be a bit limited - when we were there, we could taste only the white label, because all the bottles of Black Label’s previous vintage were already sold out/allocated and the next vintage was still in barrels. They do make some white wines, sparkling wines and dessert wines, however.
Haven’t visited Murajé, though. They didn’t exist yet when we visited the region!
There are so many good producers in the area, I’d love to visit one day. Others I’ve really liked are Conti and Le Piane in Boca, Rovellotti in Ghemme, and of course Nervi Conterno in Gattinara. And there are quite a few more.
