Tasting Notes: The Chiussuma Carema, is pure Nebbiolo, the product of a strenuous mountain viticulture conducted on high slopes that cannot be mechanized. This is a traditional interpretation of the classic Carema Nebbiolo but it stands out for some newer innovations, like severe pruning, and the thinning of the bunches that results in lower yields. In the cellar the work is limited to a few targeted interventions to preserve the salient qualities of the grapes.
Estate History: Chiussuma is located north of Torino in Piedmont on the border with Valle d´Aosta. The winery is named after the waterfall near their Carema vineyard. Carema vinification is traditional, preserving the integrity of the Nebbiolo, Picotener & ‘Neretti’ grapes, with skin maceration for 15 days, followed by 18 months in 500 liter used tonneaux. Production is limited; with the Carema maxing out at 1200 bottles. Their debut vintage was 2016.
Carema’s distinctive vineyards are planted on terraces lining a natural amphitheater, and they rise from 300 meters up to 600 meters above sea level. The terraces make the soil on the steep slopes cultivable and prevent erosion, and the growers have also introduced a method for training for the vines that is well suited to the environmental characteristics: the pergola system, known as topia in the Piedmontese dialect
