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.
“La Torrazza” 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 15-30 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).
