$36.88 on 6+ bottlers (Code: 6saves2)

93VM pts Vinous
From: Nebbiolo Shines in Alto Piemonte, Carema & Valtellina (Jun 2023) The 2018 Carema Riserva is classic wine from the appellation and this cooperative. Bright, aromatic and savory, the 2018 is a weightless beauty. Crushed red berry fruit, dried herbs, mint, orange peel, chalk and white pepper all run through this taut, finely sculpted Carema.– By Antonio Galloni on November 2022

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.

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.