2017 | Poderi Aldo Conterno | Romirasco Bussia

Red Wine: 2017 | Poderi Aldo Conterno | Romirasco Bussia

Though well-marked by new oak, there’s a vibrant quality to this Barolo, along with cherry, raspberry, iron, tar and tobacco flavors. Supple, almost elegant, with a long, spicy aftertaste, this shows plenty of detail and energy.

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Producer: Poderi Aldo Conterno

Ratings: WA | 94 JS | 98

Vintage: 2017

Size: 750ml

ABV: 14.5%

Varietal: Nebbiolo

Country/Region: Italy, Barolo

Though well-marked by new oak, there’s a vibrant quality to this Barolo, along with cherry, raspberry, iron, tar and tobacco flavors. Supple, almost elegant, with a long, spicy aftertaste, this shows plenty of detail and energy.

Reviews:

• Wine Advocate: Opening to a dark color and robust consistency, the Poderi Aldo Conterno 2017 Barolo Bussia Romirasco is perhaps the most powerful of the four new releases reviewed here. Wearing broad shoulders and sporting a heavy gait over the palate, the wine sees a solid construction of dark berry and spicy or toasted oak aromas. There is a lot to behold in this bottle, and it definitely shows the potential to soften and relax with more cellar aging. However, you definitely need to put the bottle aside for many years.

• James Suckling: Lots of floral aromas, such as lilacs and roses, with crushed raspberries and strawberries. Sandalwood, too. Full-bodied and very powerful with incredible depth of fruit and chewy tannins. It goes on for minutes. Try after 2026.

Producer Information

Poderi Aldo Conterno is a well-regarded and much soughter-after Piedmont producer known for its wines from the best parcels of the Bussia vineyard in Monforte d’Alba. Aldo Conterno, who died in 2012, was regarded by many as the greatest of all Barolo winemakers. The vineyard holdings total around 25 hectares (62 acres) and are mostly situated on south- and southwest-facing slopes with chalky-clay soils. Cru Barolos are made from the Romirasco, Cicala and Colonello plots within the Bussia vineyard, while the Granbussia Riserva is sourced from the oldest vines in all three plots and only made in the very best vintages. The Bussia cuve is the junior Barolo made from younger plots (15 years and above), while Il Favot is made from the youngest vines in the estate and is classified as a Langhe Nebbiolo. Conca Tre Pile is a Barbera d’Alba from the Bussia plot of the same name, and a Langhe red is also produced from a blend of Freisa, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. The range is completed by the barrique-fermented Bussiador Chardonnay. Total production is approximately 80,000 bottles annually. Aldo Conterno has been labelled a Barolo modernist, and this was often stated in comparison with his brother Giovanni of the staunchly old-school Giacomo Conterno estate. Winemaking combines the modern and traditional with the Barolo wines aged at length in large Slavonian oak casks and French barriques are also used in the range. The Bussia is aged for 26 months, the Cru wines receive 28-30 months in cask, while the Granbussia receives 32 months and is only released from the cellars eight years after the vintage. Il Favot and the other reds, in contrast, are aged in a combination of stainless steel and new barriques. The business was founded in 1969 when Aldo bought the Favot estate with its Bussia holdings. For the previous eight years, he had managed Giacomo Conterno with his brother, but left to make wines in a less resolutely traditionalist environment.