Last Chance:
Cult Mountain Nebbiolo
2008 Ferrando Carema
Etichetta Nera (Black Label)
"When I am asked which wine would I choose were I to be restricted to a single one, my answer is: Carema"
-Neal Rosenthal
Carema is a tiny, obscure appellation in the backwoods of Piedmont that has an outsized fan club. The wines always sell out immediately.
As Neal Rosenthal's quote above makes clear, Ferrando's Carema is a special wine. After all, he has things like Fourrier's Griotte at his fingertips and it's Carema that's his "desert island" wine.
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Ferrando's Carema is Nebbiolo at its purest, its most energetic, and its most aromatic. At high altitudes, in the shadows of Mt. Blanc, on soil that's pretty much eroded rock, the grape assumes a level of finesse that's gorgeous and fascinatingly singular.
Word has definitely gotten out: each year our allocations get smaller and smaller and extensive replanting is going to make availability much, much worse. When I was offered this final parcel of 2008 "Black Label", I was essentially told: enjoy this extra amount of 08 because 09 will be painful.
Ferrando's Caremas are wines that we support every year, because every year it has something beautiful to say. In 2008, Ferrando's Black Label speaks with the purest expression of Carema that we've seen in a long time. The 2008 vintage is stunning throughout Piedmont displaying a clarity and length that we love. I wish there were more of Ferrando's Black Label to go around, but so it goes...
The Etichetta Nera (the "Black Label") is produced only in exceptional vintages. It sees a bit longer barrel aging, some of which is in new oak. In vintages when it’s produced, Ferrando makes only about 3,000 bottles of the Black Label. Compared to Ferrando's Etichetta Bianca (the "White Label"), the Black Label is more masculine, denser, richer and more intense, but there is still plenty of finesse. It rewards the patient.
Ferrando Carema's lightness of color and body belies the distance that it can go in the cellar. It's a wine that ages on its balance and overall harmony. Nebbiolo ages long and gracefully, and there are many tales of outstanding bottles of Ferrando White Label at 15 and even 20+ years old. Rosenthal speaks of a 1964 Black Label that hit its apogee in 1998 - at 34 years of age.
Ferrando's Carema has become a cornerstone of the store, and the Black Label is surely one of our most requested bottles. Again, this offer is going out only to those of you who supported the Piedmont program. Please give us your ideal order, and we'll do our best.
To order, please reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits
2008 Ferrando Carema Etichetta Nera
2008 Ferrando Black Label is in stock!
NET | No further discount