The Ferrandos only produce their legendary black-label Carema when the vintage allows for it, and it never comprises more than a fifth of their total production. To be labeled as “Etichetta Nera,” the wine must first be selected in the vineyard as worthy; then, it must pass muster post-malolactic-fermentation; and finally, a third verification is performed at the end of the three-year barrel aging. Raised entirely in a mix of used 250- and 500-liter French-oak casks, the “Etichetta Nera” interestingly shows a similar, lifted weight as its white-label counterpart (it is frequently more voluminous in its youth), yet with a firmer structure and a stronger sense of sappy saturation to the fruit. Well-orchestrated, pleasantly developing tannins and a lengthily tunneling finish promise decades of positive evolution.