Chiussuma Pajarin 2020

100 years ago, Alto Piemonte was miles ahead of Barolo & Barbaresco, who then looked up to appellations such as Boca, Gattinara and Carema. However, the world wars threw a spanner in the works and these unique wine regions were virtually lost. 40,000 ha was reduced to ... 500 ha. But everything always comes back. And how! Barolo and Barbaresco are now world famous ... and Alto Piemonte is riding the wave, which brings us seamlessly to Carema. Chiussuma is a tiny project by Alessandra, Rudy & Matteo, on the border with the Valle d'Aosta. The estate comprises barely 2.7 ha with vineyards planted in terraces & pergola-trained, at an altitude of around 600m, with very poor rocky & granite subsoil. The Pajarin is made from 100% erbaluce, an indigenous grape that produces a very mineral, linear and complex wine. The Carema is a 100% spanna (local synonym for nebbiolo), best described as a cross between a floral Chambolle-Musigny and a delicate Barolo.