Carema
– Only 5 Producers
– The Chambolle of Alto Piemonte
– Haunting Elegance, All Star Aromatics
– The Filigree and the Refinement
– The Next Big Thing
Matteo Ravera
– Pico Estate
– Brilliant, Elegant Wines
– Silky, Structured, Deep and Ultra Refined
2021 Vini Chiussima Carema
– Nose: Stunngly Complex
– Deep, Deep Fruit
– Strawberry, Rhubarb, Cherry, Caraway Seed and Anise
– Fresh, Hand Crushed Red Berries
– Wow Floral
– Insane Complex Spices
– Palate: Even Better
– Perfect Mid-Season Cherries, Cherry Liquor
– So Sensual and Delicious in Such an Elegant Way
– Awesome Concentration
– Sweet Chambolle-like Fruit
– Amazingly Fresh Finish, Insane Licorice and Spice
– A Very Hot New Producer in Italy
– 48 Bottles ONLY
2021 Vini Chiussima Pajarin Erbaluce
– Nose of Lemon Curd, Flintiness
– Huge, Massive Minerals
– Flowers and Apples
– Lovely Tree Bark, Lemon, Apple
– Palate: Very Mineral-Driven
– Nice Inner Mouth Florals
– Terrific Intensity
– A Wonderfully Complex, Mineral Driven Italian White for $24.99
– A Next Gen Italian White
– This BLOWS AWAY Each and Every Italian White I Had at Last Year’s Tre Bicchieri Tasting – Not Close
Carema – The Next Collectors’ Item?
Americans are finally recognizing that Alto Piemonte is an important region within Piedmont. The climate is cooler and the terroir is perfect for nebbiolo. And without a doubt, Carema is the most popular DOCG. Unfortunately, there is very little wine made there. So prices are starting to skyrocket. There are more and more importers chasing every little producer and there are very few producers. We are lucky to get a tiny allocation of these wines. So if you like nebbiolo and want to have a few in your cellar in a few years, I’d snap these up now.
The Chambolle Musigny of Alto Piemonte
If there is one thing about Alto Piemonte that no one has done yet, and I’ll do it some day is to compare each appellation to Burgundy. For example I see Bramaterra as Nuits St. Georges as it’s usually bigger and more structured. I see Lessona as Volnay as it’s very elegant, super aromatic but it has a mineral spine. If I had to do one for Carema, which is the smallest appellation in Alto Piemonte, I’d say it is Chambolle Musigny. It’s got the haunting elegance, all star aromatics plus the filigree and the refinement. It’s why the wines of Carema are also more expensive than any other Alto Piemonte appellation. They have the magic. Just refined silkiness and Nebbiolo magic. I adore Carema. It’s very small and very treacherous. There are, I believe, only 5 producers and Fass Selections now has 2. It’s arguably the DOC in Alto Piemonte that makes the most refined, Chambolle-like wines. The issue is is that it’s tiny and there is no wine amongst the smaller new producers. But to get a new producer of Carema is special. It’s a gift. And when they are this good? It’s truly magic.
Matteo Ravera
The wines of Matteo Ravera at the micro estate Chissiuma are revelatory wines and one of the most exciting new Alto Piemonte estates making wine today and we are very very lucky to have them. We’ve been chasing these wines for a very long time. The Caremas of Chiussima are silky, structured, deep and ultra refined. The fruit is extraordinary and layered and sweet like great Chambolle. This is elite. Comparable to Ferrando White Label which is $70+ now.
The 2021 Vini Chiussima Carema for $52.99 on a 3-pack is a revelatory wine. Buy 2, drink 1, cellar 2 as Carema ages as long as any wine in Piedmont. If ArPePe made Alto Piemonte wines it would taste like this. This is UBER limited.
Stunning nose. Strawberry, rhubarb, cherry, caraway seed and anise. This is so complex and so unusually alluring. Some cherry flower. Cherry smells are more pie like and velvety after 15 minutes. Deep, deep fruit on the nose. Hand crushed red berries. But after 20 minutes it’s super floral. Like, wow floral. Really really pretty nose. Smoke, seaweed, just so unusual, very appealing and stunningly complex. On open, almost sexual, as it opens up, more sensual. But definitely incredibly alluring. Really wowed here. Insane complex spices. A 9.5 nose. Yes, really. On day 2 it continues to wow with a gorgeous nose big on strawberry and cherry and utterly intoxicating.
On the palate, this gets even better. Wow, what insane inner mouth florals and just unreal fruit. Mid season cherry. Cherry liquor. Awesome concentration. Decadent, yet delicate and so so refined. Incredible purity and freshness. It has that elegant deliciousness which is so rare. Incredibly silky and clean. Just so energetic and deep. But remains so delicate. Wow. One sip and you know this is elite. Amazing fruit. So red. So fully defined and just perfectly ripe. Just a spectacularly well made wine.
What a finish. It’s an intense pitter patter. One of the greatest unknown young wines from anywhere I’ve ever tasted. The tannins are big but so ripe and juicy and just carry all the stunning fruit. So compelling. Just amazing freshness. Insane licorice and spice. So pure, juicy, fresh and layered. Amazing tannin quality. Drink now through 2041 I’d say.
Next up is a fantastic white wine that is a stunning value but it has barely any fruit. Be warned. But it’s so well made and has just profound mineralIty. It’s just glorious. The 2022 Vini Chiussima Pajarain Erbaluce for $24.99 a bottle on a 4-pack.
Nose of lemon curd, flintiness and huge, massive minerals. Airy as it airs. LOL. Really clean and precise nose. Gets more expansive as it airs. Flowers and apples as well but this, initially, aromatically is very mineral driven. On day 2 it’s arguably better. Nose is much more complex today. Wonderful lift and lovely tree bark, lemon, apple with so much sappiness and purity. What a nose. Even some creamed corn and intense minerality.
Palate is where this really delivers. Structured, intensely mineral and very dry. Yet so juicy, so refined and deep. Really long. Almost no fruit on the palate. Nice inner mouth florals and such dry extract and sap. So clean, balanced and juicy. Really long. Just terrific. But it takes 30ish minutes to unwind. On day 2, palate is intense and mineral. Great acidity. Juicy and clean. Drink now and over the next 3-4 years.
The Winemaker
Matteo started to growing vines and making wine as a professional in 2011 when he established Matteo Ravera Chion winery. Previously he had been taken care of his family’s small vineyard during his time at university. Matteo had a MSC degree in Cultural Anthropology.
Since 2011 Matteo has been producing red wine (Canavese Rosso from Barbera, Freisa and other local varieties) and white wine (Erbaluce) from his family wineyard and another that he rents in Palazzo Canavese and Piverone which are two small villages on the morainic hills of Canavese.
In 2016 Matteo started the Chiussuma estate with his partners Alessandra and Rudy. Chiussuma is based in Carema and produces a Carema DOC and a wine called Farinel. Matteo also labels an Erbaluce from Matteo Ravera Chion. The biggest part of Matteo’s work in Carema was to replant vineyards that had been abandoned years ago. They cut trees, bushes and all of the wild plants that year after year have covered the ancient stone walls. They planted back vines. All the work is done by hand because it is impossible to reach the small terrace on the slope of the mountain with by any other means. Since 2016, they started to produce a Carema from a very old wineyard they rent.
Matteo Ravera Chion is now 2,5 hectares of vineyard with almost half Erbaluce and half red varieties. They produce 4,000 bottles of Erbaluce, 3000 of Canavese Rosso and some other wine that is been sold in bulk.
Chiussuma vini is now 3 hectares of land with 1 hectare of old vineyards and 1.2 hectars of vineyards planted in the past four years. 8 hectares of vineyard are still unplanted.They produced 1,200 bottles of Carema in their first vintage (2016) and right now (2020) they are producing 2300 bottles.
Please call Cheryl at 949 378 5251 after emailing with your first order if you are a first time customer (we prefer not to receive credit card numbers over E-Mail).
OFFICE HOURS 4-7 PM
I love drinking and selecting wines – but my passion for teaching people about wine is almost as big. I’m happy to announce a block of time each day where people can call me just to chat about wine in general. These blocks are NOT intended to sell wine (I do that all day). This is to talk to me about wine pairings or great producers or how long to age wines or styles of wine making or the latest wine controversy. My goal is to help people learn more about wine and enjoy it more. Call me at 917-912-4355 from 4-7EST Monday – Friday.
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