Azienda Agricola Chiussuma, nestled in the steep terraces of Carema, feels less like a modern venture and more like a return, a restoration of something almost forgotten yet enduring, like a faint memory of ancient hands in the soil. The story of this place is one of quiet perseverance. In 2016, Matteo Ravera Chion—an anthropology graduate and mountaineer—along with Alessandra and Rudi, began the delicate work of bringing back to life what nature and time had gently reclaimed. Their work, set against the backdrop of a waterfall that lends its name to the vineyard, is more than cultivation. It is a restoration, both of the land and the spirit of those who work it.

These terraces, perched 350 meters above the valley, speak of generations past: wooden pergolas held aloft by stone pillars, each carefully set to hold the weight of history. With the help of their three donkeys—Ernesto, Angelica, and Nerina—the trio tends to three hectares of Nebbiolo, or Picotener as it is known here, and native Nerd-Ala vines.

The cool, mineral-rich soil imbues their wine with a character as restrained and resilient as the land itself. It is Nebbiolo, but not quite as the world knows it—something more lifted, more energetic, with a backbone that speaks of the ancient moraine beneath their feet. There are only 1300 bottles a year, each a testament to the slow, painstaking work of their hands. Chiussuma’s wines, like the land, reveal their truth only to those with patience—those willing to listen.