COLOUR
Red
TYPE
Still
VINTAGE
2012
GRAPE
Nebbiolo
PRODUCER
Luigi Ferrando
REGION
Piemonte
CHARACTERISTICS
Body
Medium
Sweetness
Dry
Acidity
High
Finish
Long
Intensity
Pronounced
Tannins
Medium - High
AROMAS & FLAVOURS
ABOUT THIS WINE
Luigi Ferrando is a legendary name in the tiny alpine appellation of Carema, located in northern Piedmont at the foot of the Alps. For five generations, the Ferrando family has championed the heroic viticulture of this dramatic region, where vines are trained on overhead pergolas supported by historic stone pillars called pilun. Giuseppe Ferrando famously saved the appellation from extinction in the mid-20th century. This wine, the Etichetta Bianca (White Label), is the estate's flagship expression, representing the pinnacle of high-altitude Nebbiolo. It was the first wine ever imported by legendary US importer Neal Rosenthal, cementing its cult status among Italian wine connoisseurs.
ALCOHOL
14.0%
AVG. PRICE
€80
STYLE
Classic
SULPHITES
YES
When to drink
Now or Later
Ideal temperature
18-20°C
INTERESTING FACTS
Fact 01
The vines are trained on pergolas supported by 'pilun'—stone pillars that absorb daytime heat and radiate it back to the grapes at night.
Fact 02
This was the very first wine imported by legendary US importer Neal Rosenthal in 1980, who calls it his single favorite wine.
Fact 03
With only 2.5 hectares of vines, Ferrando produces a mere 7,000 to 7,200 bottles of this flagship Carema wine annually.
FOOD PAIRING
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WINE MAKING PROCESS
The grapes are hand-harvested from steep, terraced vineyards on glacial moraine soils. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks using indigenous yeasts, with a skin maceration of 10 to 14 days. In accordance with Carema DOC regulations, the wine undergoes a total of 36 months of aging before release. For the Etichetta Bianca, 30 of these months are spent in large, neutral oak barrels (botti) to allow slow, micro-oxygenation without imparting dominant oak flavors, preserving the delicate, translucent character of alpine Nebbiolo. The wine is bottled unfiltered with minimal sulfur additions.
