Description
Ferrando, Canavese Rosso “La Torrazza”
When I think about the all-time greats of Italian wine, it’s often one of their “lesser” wines (i.e. the ones I can afford to drink regularly) that come to mind first. In Barolo, for example, where top wines climb quickly to three digits, all sorts of treasures are found a little further down the totem pole: Vietti’s Barbera, Bartolo Mascarello’s Dolcetto, Burlotto’s Pelaverga…the list is long and distinguished, and it includes a trove of blends based on Nebbiolo, Piedmont’s headliner and the variety that fetches the highest prices. In Barolo, these transcendent values are labeled “Langhe Rosso,” but in Luigi Ferrando’s little corner of Piedmont, it’s “Canavese Rosso”—the designation given to today’s mind-bendingly good Nebbiolo-Barbera blend, “La Torrazza.”
Ferrando is the acknowledged maestro of the tiny Carema appellation, situated right where Piedmont becomes the Valle d’Aosta, and while his two Carema bottlings remain relatively affordable given their impeccable pedigree, “La Torrazza” is a bona fide miracle. This is some of the most rarefied Nebbiolo in Piedmont—Ferrando’s few hectares of vineyards are in an appellation with less than 20 hectares IN TOTAL—blended 70%-30% with Barbera to create perfect, earlier-drinking symbiosis. Think about the most successful Nebbiolo-Barbera partnerships in the Langhe (or Cabernet-Merlot partnerships in Bordeaux), and you’ve got “La Torrazza” nailed—except when it comes to the price. I’ve encountered this wine countless times at its importer’s trade tastings, and have walked away more than once proclaiming it the best pound-for-pound wine in the room. It’s that good, so don’t miss it!
Located about 45 minutes north of Turin, Carema is well west of what most people consider the heart of the “Alto Piemonte,” but stylistically, it is in step with wines from places such as Gattinara, Boca, and Lessona. Carema wines are more finessed, “Alpine” takes on Nebbiolo compared to Barolo/Barbaresco, but with a similar capacity to age. Carema is the name of both a village and a wine appellation, where a handful of producers tend terraced vineyards in a natural, south-facing amphitheater of glacial moraine and granite. It somewhat resembles another famous Alpine Nebbiolo capital—Lombardy’s Valtellina—with vineyard altitudes ranging from 300 to 600 meters and hand-laid stone walls holding everything in place. Ferrando, as many people are aware, is Carema’s “first family,” with namesake Luigi still in action alongside his two sons, Roberto and Andrea.
The Ferrando family has farmed vines in this remote, rocky area since 1900, and I was shocked to learn that their wines have been sold in the US since 1980—a time when, as their importer puts it, Carema wines “…were unknown to almost anyone who did not live within 50 kilometers of Torino.” In addition to their complex, fine, mineral Nebbiolos, Ferrando is also celebrated for dry and sweet whites from the region’s Erbaluce grape. This is artisanal wine production at its absolute best, another reason I’m so besotted with “La Torrazza”—only about 8,000 bottles of this are produced annually, and it still only costs $29? Amazing.
Today’s 2019, based on 70% Nebbiolo and nearly 30% Barbera (there’s a splash of another local grape called Neretta), is vinified and aged in stainless steel and radiates freshness. In the glass, it’s a deep garnet-red (the orange-leaning Nebbiolo given a boost by the Barbera), with enticing aromas of red and black cherry, raspberry, plum, orange peel, leather, roses, and lots of underbrush. Whereas Carema wines are almost resolutely savory, this one has a perfectly calibrated dose of juicy fruit to complement all its woodsy, earthy notes. It is delicious to drink now, especially after 30 minutes or so in a decanter and a cool (60 degrees) serving temperature in Burgundy stems. It’s perfect for mushroom risotto, a juicy burger, or some spiedini (the Italian take on kebabs). La Torrazza is “house red,” elevated, so do yourself a favor and stock up. Enjoy!
