The most tender place in my heart is for Northern Piedmont Nebbiolo, when it comes to Italian wines. Sure, wines from Barolo and Barbaresco are often stunning and some producers can make some really attractive Chiavennasca in Lombardy, too. However, I find Nebbiolo to be at its most thrilling when tasting these small, virtually unknown appellations that can produce just astounding Nebbioli at prices so low you would never imagine! These wines are not as burly and brooding as those from Barolo or Barbaresco, but instead much lighter and noticeably higher in acidity – some almost painfully so. Some wines might show very restrained and mellow tannins, more comparable to Pinot Noir from Burgundy, whereas the others can be even as tannic as the most grippiest of Barolos! But what matters the most to me is that practically all of the producers in these appellations are so-called "classicists": new barriques, extended hang times and other modern practices have never gained much foothold – unlike in Barolo and Barbaresco – and instead wines are made more or less the same way they were made a hundred years ago. The equipments have been replaced with newer ones, but the core recipe of the wines remains unchanged.
I heard of Carema the first time about three years ago when I stumpled upon a 1964 Carema by Luigi Ferrando in a small tasting of sorts. I wanted to know more about this appellation, so the next spring, in April 2015, we visited all the producers of Carema, just to get the hang of the region. I want to point here that this wasn't much of a feat, because there are only two producers in the region: the aforementioned Luigi Ferrando and the local co-operative, Cantina Produttori Nebbiolo di Carema.
 |
| Nebbiolo wines trained in pergolas. |
Carema, located in the northern part of Piedmont, is easily one of the smallest appellations in Italy. Unlike all the other Nebbiolo-regions of northern Piedmont that are located north from Barolo and Barbaresco, close to the Lombardian border to the east, Carema is a lonely little spot right at the mouth of Aosta Valley in the northwestern corner of Piedmont – closer to the French and Swiss border, at the foothills of the Alps. It is an appellation centered around the village of Carema – a place so small you can drive through it in less than a minute or two – and although virtually unknown, it is amongst some of the oldest appellations in Italy, having been created already back in 1967. Although this appellation is situated in Piedmont, it shares much more terroir character with the neighboring appellations of the valley of Aosta, instead of with any of the other Piedmontese regions. The main variety of Carema is Nebbiolo, which must compose at least 85% of the local red wines; the rest can be filled out with other local varieties. The vines are often trained in traditional pergolas, which were used historically in the region in order to maximize the sparse arable land in the Alpine hills: the wines would grow high above the ground in this wooden framework, pergola, whereas the ground itself was reserved for the cultivation of vegetables. The vineyards are planted in the hills of the Alps – the lowest of the vineyards located at 300 meters above the sea level, whereas the highest ones could reach up to 600 m a.s.l. – in terraces built of stone. Not only can these stone terraces increase the acreage of arable land, they also store up the Sun's warmth during the day to keep the vineyards warmer at night – a real benefit for the wines so up north.
 |
| It is Aosta valley up there. |
Although Carema might not seem so small by the appellation's allowed land area for cultivation – some 120 ha / 300 acres – the area under cultivation is actually really small, composed of only some 16 ha / 40 acres, making it easily one of the smallest appellations in Italy. For example even the relatively small Gattinara region covers 100 ha / 250 acres! And not only is Carema still a virtually unknown wine region, it is really easy one to miss too! The main road that goes past Carema doesn't pass through the village, but instead past it, so unless one is aware where this region really is, it is too easy drive past the village never noticing it.
Not that there is much to see in Carema. It's a small village of some 800 people and only the local co-op is situated there, pretty little anything else. The appellation laws stipulate that Carema wine must be made within the wine region, so Luigi Ferrando – a winery not situated in Carema but instead in the nearby city of Ivrea – responded to this stipulation by building small vinification premises and a cellar in the village just to make the wines according to the appellation rules. For those interested, this means that to visit Ferrando one mustn't actually go to Carema, but instead to Ivrea.
Out of the 16 hectares / 40 acres, the local co-operative Cantina Produttori Nebbiolo di Carema owns a great majority at 14 ha / 35 acres through the approx. 80 members of the co-op. They produce a handful of wines, three of which are local Nebbiolo wines of Carema: the regular Carema Classico, the flagship wine Carema Riserva (known as Carema di Carema before the revision of the appellation law) and the more modern Carema Selezione Barricato. What I find really adorable is how humbly the co-op understates the aging capabilities of their wines: they say in their home pages how the wines can age well (for over 10 years) and are likely to age more. Well, having tasted several of their vintages from the past 50 years, I can easily say that the wines are capable of developing for decades and holding for more than half a century!
Here are my tasting notes on the Carema / Carema Classico wines I have tasted.
Produttori di Carema Carema Classico
DOC Carema
- Cantina Produttori Nebbiolo di Carema
- Country: Italy
- Region: Piedmont, Carema
- Grape(s): Nebbiolo
This is the wine that composes the backbone of the co-operative's production. The wine is 100% Nebbiolo from the hills of Carema. After having been fermented and macerated with the grape skins for 12 days, the wine is aged for 12 months in old, large botti casks, followed by another 12 months of aging in bottles before release. Due to the relatively cool climate of Carema, the wines very rarely reach higher alcohol levels of 12,5%, but instead the acidity levels are very high – normally around 5,5 to 6 g/l, but occasionally capable of reaching levels even close to 9 g/l.
Produttori di Carema Carema Classico 2012
- Size: 0,75
- Tasted on: 22nd of April, 2015
Pale cranberry marmalade color that is light even by Nebbiolo standards; this is more like a dark rosé wine than something remotely red wine. It has pure, crystalline nose with that attractive, really tart edge of a cool-climate Nebbiolo. There are aromas of crunchy, tart red berries, cranberries, some smoky and slightly tarry Nebbiolo aromatics, hints of dried flowers and a whiff of rose petals. The wine is very dry, but surprisingly full-bodied and silky on the palate with moderate acidity. There are spicy flavors of sour cherry, cranberry marmalade, some crunchy red currant notes and a hint of smoke. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of tannins, but they are still obviously quite young, tightly-knit and grippy. The wine leaves a dry, astringent and persistent aftertaste of crunchy redcurrants, raspberry marmalade, ripe cranberries, some smoke, a little roasted spices and a hint of sour cherry bitterness.
This is a really attractive little Nebbiolo that somehow combines the relatively simple and easy-drinking style with a very delicate, serious and almost Burgundian character.
91/100
Summary: Maybe not the most complex effort, this still is a lot better than almost any of the Langhe Nebbiolos with its superb balance and great focus. Probably won't develop much in the cellar, but will easily keep for years if not even for several decades. Very recommended and a steal at approx. 10€ at the co-op's cellar door.
***
Produttori di Carema Carema 1983
- Size: 0,75
- Tasted on: 10th of September, 2016
Translucent but quite dark ruby red color with a mature maroon hue. The nose seems to show some signs of oxidation – there are mature notes of dried dates, nutty tawny port, sweet raisins, pungent smokiness and some sharp, Fino Sherry-like green apple notes of acetaldehyde. Especially the nutty tawny port aroma seems to become pronounced as the wine breathes. On the palate the wine seems more enjoyable, although somewhat over-matured with flavors of raisins, dried prunes, christmas spices, raisin soup, some sharp smoky notes and a little sharp aldehydic tang of salinity. The structure is very grippy with high acidity and moderately high tannins. The finish is quite long with very aged characteristics of nutty tawny port, raisins, dried dates, some aldehydic green apple notes and a little astringent tannic grip.
Although this wine wasn't completely dead, it was pretty obvious it was way too much developed for its age. It was still quite enjoyable, although the longer it stayed in the glass, the more aged it got – and it was pretty over-aged already – so this really wasn't the kind of experience I hoped it would be.
FLAW
Summary: As the wine wasn't showing like it should've, I'm scoring it as flawed. Although still drinkable, this wine was too oxidized to be actually worth rating.
***
Produttori di Carema Carema 1980
- Size: 0,75
- Tasted on: 10th of September, 2016
By its appearance this wine is very similar to the vintage 1983, although with a bit deeper and darker hue. The savory nose doesn't seem to be oxidized, but somehow the aromas seem to have withered up; there are dark-toned and slightly pungent aromas of dried dark berries, some sour cherries, light notes of dried mushrooms, a little earthiness and a volatile lift of acetone. On the palate the wine feels dry, medium-bodied and focused with savory, acid-driven flavors of sour cherry bitterness, dried plums, peppery spiciness, some crowberry notes and a hint of minerality and iron. The tannins are moderate and somewhat grippy. The finish is dry and a bit thin with angular tannins and acid-driven flavors of crowberries, lingonberries, some dried blackberry notes and a hint of sour cherries.
Although the wine seemed past its prime according to its nose, it actually turned out to be quite nice – but only for a while. After only some moments of breathing, the wine seemed to sort of fall apart and die: having been in the glass for some 15-20 minutes, the nose became almost mute and the flavors dull, so most likely the wine had reached the end of its plateau of maturity.
83/100
Summary: The wine was pretty nice, but only for a little while, and even then it wasn't anything special. After the wine got some air, there wasn't much to savor. If you own bottles of this wine by some happenstance, I heartily recommend you to open them sooner than later.
***
Produttori di Carema Carema 1978
- Size: 0,75
- Tasted on: 10th of September, 2016
Remarkably youthful appearance: the wine is almost completely opaque with its bright black cherry color. The slightly reticent nose is savory and moderately developed, but still in wonderful condition, exhibiting earthy aromas of sour cherries, loamy sous-bois, some meaty notes, a little withered flowers and a hint of volatile acetone lift. On the palate the wine feels quite light-bodied, but bright and focused with crunchy acidity and nice, light tannic bite. There are quite ripe flavors of juicy dark cherries, tart lingonberries and cranberries, some sour cherries, light rainy forest notes and a hint of crowberries. The wine finishes with a medium-long, acid-driven and somewhat bitter aftertaste with dry flavors of crowberries, some cranberries and a hint of sour cherries.
This wine is a really lovely example of the aged Nebbiolo of Carema: it seems pretty hard to catch these wines in the optimum drinking window, as they either seem to be still on their way up, or long past their prime. This wine, however, was in really wonderful phase, showing some obviously mature characteristics, yet no oxidation or anything other overmature.
94/100
Summary: In short, this is just perfectly balanced Carema Nebbiolo; light in body, yet showing great depth and complexity of fruit and enough body to make its acid-and-tannin structure feel noticeable, yet not overwhelming. Probably will keep for years, even decades, but most likely won't develop any further from this.
***
Produttori di Carema Carema 1974
- Size: 0,70
- Tasted on: 1st of February, 2016
Moderately dark, somewhat translucent dark cherry color with maroon highlights. The nose feels somewhat restrained, yet pleasantly juicy with aromas of ripe sour cherry, a little dried fig and some autumnal forest floor notes with underlying hints of smoke, roasted spices and even some salty licorice; there is also the slightest touch of volatile acetone lift. On the palate the wine feels surprisingly full-bodied for a Carema, yet with lovely high acidity, giving the taste a tart edge. There are flavors of sour cherry, lingonberry, cranberry, some aged pruney character and a little sweet spice. Although the wine has moderately high tannins and bright acidity, its mouthfeel is pretty velvety due to the concentration brought by age. The wine finishes with a rather long, sharp and bone-dry aftertaste with even more pronounced acidity and bright flavors of tart dark berries, lingonberries, cranberry skins, some sweet pruney fruit and a lot of tannic grip.
This wine shows remarkable power and concentration for a Carema, being almost atypically full-bodied and tannic. Yet it is very obviously so Carema, with its sharp, acid-driven and almost austere character that is more about tart red berries than anything really fruity. Almost like a Bourgogne Grand Cru but made from Nebbiolo.
95/100
Summary: The 1974 vintage of this wine is remarkably youthful for its age and probably still on its way up, even at the age of 41 years! Very tart, sharp and acid-driven stuff but with lots of concentration and depth to back it up. Simply stunning wine, most likely the best co-op's Carema I've tasted.
***
Produttori di Carema Carema 1973
- Size: 0,70
- Tasted on: 1st of February, 2016
Moderately dark, somewhat translucent dark cherry color with modest bricking. Quite reticent, dark-toned nose with light but attractive aromas of red cherry, some tart plummy notes, a little sours-bois and a hint of wizened dark berries. On the palate the wine feels medium-bodied, dry and very acid-driven, almost bracingly tart with flavors of sour cherries, dark cherries, lingonberries and some tart dark berries. There is also a sweeter undertone of developed darker fruits. The tannins are quite ample and pretty grippy, but still not overtly aggressive. The wine finishes on a long, mouth-puckeringly tart note with acid-driven flavors of lingonberries and sour cherries and a hint of mouth-drying tannins.
Taking into account how tannic and high in acid this wine is, it is remarkably smooth and velvety – it feels it has some obvious grip, but all the rough edges have been polished away by the age. Stylistically this wine feels very close to the young vintage 2012, but only concentrated with the age.
92/100
Summary: Really lovely stuff, this. Not the best Carema I've had, the fruit being so austere and acid-driven taking all the focus and not letting the more developed nuances to shine through, yet this is still enormously attractive and drinkable. It is still so tightly-knit it definitely needs some food to be paired with.
***
Produttori di Carema Carema 1972
- Size: 0,70
- Tasted on: 1st of February, 2016
Developed, translucent maroon red color with a slightly tawny yellow-brown rim. Initially there's a very light, musty note of TCA and after that not much else. The wine is quite tannic and really tart with high acidity on the palate, but completely mute flavor-wise.
Probably a mild case of TCA: the wine really didn't smell or taste like corked, it was just completely dead.
FLAW
***
Produttori di Carema Carema 1971
- Size: 0,70
- Tasted on: 1st of February, 2016
Translucent, luminous Burgundy red color with some obvious developed maroon highlights. Juicy, developed nose with complex aromas of ripe red cherry, some developed red fruit notes, a light touch of acetone volatility, a floral hint of rose petals, a touch of barnyard and a whiff of potpourri. The wine is medium-bodied, quite tannic and moderately high in acidity – meaning that it is a bit less acidic than Caremas on average. The lively flavors exhibit mainly surprisingly youthful red fruit flavors of sour cherry and ripe cranberry with underlying hints of sous-bois. Overall the wine feels very balanced: there is a crisp streak of acidity, yet the wine is still very smooth and pleasant. The wine finishes on a pretty long and quite tart note of sour cherries, acidic red berries and some stony minerality – although the developed flavors kick in towards the end of the aftertaste, introducing a slightly sweeter suggestion of wizened red fruit.
Overall the 1971 vintage of Carema was surprisingly enjoyable on its own; even though it sported high acidity, true to the region's style, it was slightly lower than in Caremas on average, making the wine feel quite balanced, even on its own – which is not always the case. Someone in the tasting described the wine pretty well as a "fillet knife in velvet".
93/100
Summary: For a wine close to 45 years of age, this is remarkably youthful effort, only showing very slight signs of age. Most likely the wine has reached its plateau of maturity already some time ago, but it doesn't show any signs of giving up, so probably this can still keep for several decades more. I suppose there won't be much development, but it doesn't matter as the wine is drinking so nicely now.
***
Produttori di Carema Carema 1970
- Size: 0,7
- Tasted on: 1st of February
The wine's color is quite dark and almost completely opaque, but obviously rather developed with its orange-black hue. The nose is quite all over the place with no sense of focus; there are aromas sous-bois, chokeberry, pickles, some dried cherry, light inky notes and a hint of phenolic smokiness. Most likely the wine has gotten a little bit too much oxygen over the years, letting a possible acetobacter run amok; there aren't any vinegary notes per se, but the briney-vinegary hints of pickle suggest that way. On the palate the wine is very light-bodied with pronounced, sharp acidity and moderate, grippy tannins. The flavors here are pure – tart lingonberries, cranberries, herbal greenness and some sour cherry – but the wine feels excessively sour and quite thin. The wine finishes on a thin and tart note with flavors of lingonberries and a hint of aldehydic salinity (think of Fino Sherry).
Most likely the cork has given up at some point; although the cork seemed to be OK, some oxygen might have seeped in, resulting in the pickle aromas and a hint of acetaldehyde noticeable in the finish.
FLAW
Summary: Although the wine was drinkable, it really wasn't that enjoyable, but instead pretty much lacking in balance and focus. Based on the other Carema wines of similar age, I doubt that the wine should have been like this, thus I rate this one "flawed".
***
Produttori di Carema Carema 1968
- Size: 0,7
- Tasted on: 1st of February, 2016
Luminous, moderately dark cherry red; doesn't look that old. Somewhat developed and slightly restrained nose with aromas of ripe dark cherry, earthiness, some dried fig notes, light hints of loamy sous-bois, a touch of sour cherry and a whiff of something sharp, perhaps acetaldehyde? Despite its dark-toned flavors, the wine feels light-to-medium-bodied and almost thin on the palate with very pronounced, bracing acidity. There are flavors of tart dark berries and lingonberries, some sour plums, a little leather and a hint of bitter cranberry skin. There doesn't seem to be much tannins, but the tannins themselves feel rather sharp and angular. The wine finishes with a tart, acid-driven and pretty lengthy aftertaste with flavors of sour cherries, lingonberries, some earth and a hint of leather.
While sipping this wine I started to wonder whether these wines age at all? Although there were some light suggestions what would be signs of age, this wine really didn't differ that much from a vintage that was 40 years younger! The flavors were still remarkably pure and even somewhat youthful, whereas the tannins felt almost unchanged by the years.
84/100
Summary: Although this wine was remarkably young for its age, I must admit it really didn't offer much of anything interesting. It is always an experience to taste wine close to 50 years of age, but I really don't think the wine should be awarded much extra points if it has actually failed to age – or then these wines just age on a geologic time scale and this wine was just opened too young! Go figure. There isn't much fruit to develop, so most likely any development that might happen will be rather marginal.
***
Produttori di Carema Carema 1966
- Size: 0,7
- Tasted on: 1st of February, 2016
Dark, but very translucent and luminous brick red color. Very complex, but obviously very developed and not that pleasant nose with aromas of acrid smoke, gunpowder, manure, pencil shavings, dried orange peel, some nutty oxidative notes, a little old furniture, hints of rust and a touch of candle wax. On the palate the wine feels very light-bodied, even thin, with sharp, bracing acidity and rather pronounced, angular tannins. The fruit seems to have withered away, leaving just flavors of cranberry skin, sour cherry bitterness and lichen. The finish is pretty short; sharp, yet dull. There are thin, brief and quite tart flavors of cranberries and lingonberries, nothing much else.
Most likely this is what a Carema that has lived beyond its years tastes like. The nose shows lots of developed notes – mainly quite unpleasant ones – and the palate feels like it has withered up.
FLAW
Summary: As the wine feels like it is more or less dead at this stage, I feel there's no point scoring it. There is very little flavor left, but the structure still remains pretty unchanged. Apparently these wines can develop after all in the cellar, but only fruit-wise; the structure just doesn't soften up even after 50 years! So remember this if you have a bottle of Carema and you are planning on aging it: if you don't like its tart, acid-driven structure when the wine is young, you most likely won't like it when the wine is old.
***
Produttori di Carema Carema 1964
- Size: 0,7
- Tasted on: 1st of February, 2016
The wine has remarkably youthful appearance; dark, translucent red with even a slightest hint of purple hue. The nose suggests that the wine has seen a bit too much oxygen before opening the bottle: in addition to aromas of sweet red cherry, plum compote and some floral notes of violets, there are sharp and pungent aldehyde notes of Oloroso Sherry, some syrupy, oxidative notes of caramel and a hint of balsamic volatility. On the palate the wine is bone-dry and light-bodied, but instead of showing really bracing acidity, the flavors are full of sharp, Fino-Sherry like aldehydic notes of salinity and green apples. The tannins seem to have resolved away. The finish is sharp, tart and quite rough with green apple notes and saline flavors of acetaldehyde.
Probably the wine's cork has started letting in oxygen at some point. The wine wasn't oxidized like some wines I've had, making it come across very nutty and obviously oxidized, but instead letting the alcohol become oxidized into aldehydes, yet not making the wine come across nutty or much caramelized.
FLAW
Summary: It is really hard to say whether the wine would've been OK if it hadn't been so aldehydic. Now it just tasted like Fino Sherry made from red wine and it was impossible to assess the wine underneath all its sharp aldehydic notes.
 |
| The lineup from one of our tastings: the vintages 1964–1974. |
Overall it has been really interesting and enlightening to taste through 50 years' worth of Carema Nebbiolo wines. What my experiences drinking these has revealed is that: a) These wines are truly capable of aging at a glacial pace – often even several decades of cellaring hasn't done much; b) These wines often don't age much! They are pretty light-bodied, high in acidity and focused on tart fruit when they are young, and they aren't much more when they are old, perhaps a little more complex and earthy; c) The drinking window of these wines is erratic and moves in a span of decades: whereas one wine can be past its prime at 30 years of age, another can be still young and in need of more cellaring even at 40 years of age!
Having drunk more than 10 of these wines, I still see no clear picture what is the perfect aging regime for a Produttori Carema. However, what I can say for certain is that these wines always tend to need to be paired with some food – they are light, tart and austere with high acidity, so they can be quite forbidding on their own, but instead paired with right food they can be outright spectacular.
So if the wines really don't age that much in the cellar, is there any point in aging them? Well, yes and no. On one hand, you can drink a bottle now, not worrying how much more interesting it would've been in 5 more years, because the chances are that it wouldn't have been. On the other hand, it is always nice to have a pure, smashing Nebbiolo at hand anytime, with no need to worry whether the wine is past its peak or not – unless you are planning on keeping on to those bottles for more than half a century. So if you are looking for truly wonderful, bright, and light-bodied, terroir-driven Nebbiolo-wines, the Carema wines must be up your alley; however, if you are looking for that specific, aged Nebbiolo character of long-cellared wines, probably the other Piedmontese regions will suit you better.
Wherever your interests lie, Carema is still a region you most certainly don't want to miss out.
No comments:
Post a Comment