Carema Selezione

The Selezione is a small-production cuvée the Carema cooperative introduced for its 60th vintage, sitting alongside the Etichetta Nera Classico and Etichetta Bianca Riserva rather than replacing either. Grapes are picked from the members' parcels considered to give the most intense wines, then aged two years in large oak botti followed by about a year in neutral French oak barriques before bottling. Carema itself sits at the cooler, higher edge of Nebbiolo's range - terraced up to about 600 metres on glacial soils, trained on the stone-pillared pergolas locals call 'topion' - and the warm 2015 vintage helped the grapes reach full ripeness without losing the appellation's altitude-driven nerve. Expect a translucent, floral, pomegranate-toned Nebbiolo with quiet tannins and a long, mineral finish, the barrel-aged spine giving this tier a touch more weight than the Etichetta Nera.