Aldo Conterno Barolo Riserva Granbussia - 2012

Wine Advocate 97: This wine blew me away. The 2009 Barolo Riserva Granbussia is a proud achievement and an expression of rare beauty. This wine will be released this fall, some nine years after the harvest. Only 3,000 bottles were produced. The Granbussia narrative is one of elegance and refinement. The fruit comes from two vineyard parcels in the greater Bussia cru and was co-fermented (instead of being blended after malolactic fermentation). So much fruit was dropped during the summer growing cycle that the harvest came later than usual. This allowed for slow, even ripening and a deeper sense of aromatic complexity that you immediately identify here. The nose is redolent of wet earth and autumnal leaf with white truffle and forest berry. The wine offers extreme Nebbiolo purity with anise seed, tar and licorice.

Decanter 97: Opulent but far from jammy, with aromas of leather and cherries. It’s velvety, with lovely depth of flavour and luxurious tannins, a harmonious wine with no rough edges. Magnificent balance and texture and tremendous length.

Wine Spectator 95: The earthy, woodsy aromas show some evolution in this red, with just a hint of white truffle, yet there's still a hefty dose of spicy oak to be resolved. Rich and sumptuous midpalate, showing plum, cherry, tar and tobacco flavors shaded by vanilla and toasty spices, with firm, dusty tannins laying a grip on the long finish. Give this another year or two in the cellar.

Wine Spectator 97: The aromas alone—macerated cherry, plum, menthol, leather, licorice, black pepper and mineral—are worth the price of admission here. Slowly beginning to unfold, this red is still firm and less expressive on the palate, with the addition of oak spice notes. Nevertheless, this is complex, long and sophisticated, with a great future ahead. Best from 2024.