Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia Romirasco - 2017

Wine Advocate 96: The 2015 Barolo Bussia Romirasco happily shows the exuberant nature of the warm vintage with a joyous and beautifully ripe quality of fruit. This vintage underlines the concept of abundance and texture, although you could correctly conclude that it is less forthcoming in terms of linearity and depth. However, my hunch is that this broader and denser vintage will age just as gracefully over time as the thinner, cooler and more ethereal ones. Dark fruit, smoke, tar and tobacco appear on the finish here. Some 6,000 bottles were produced.

James Suckling 97: This is very bright and floral with white-truffle and dark-berry aromas. Some white pepper. Full-bodied, chewy and rich with beautiful density and brightness. So silky and rich. Long, flavorful finish.

Decanter 95: Romirasco is a 3.8ha site in the Bussia cru, located on a hilltop overlooking the Conterno winery in Monforte, and it usually delivers the most structured of the Conterno wines. The nose is dense and powerful, with very ripe but not cooked cherry and raspberry aromas. Although powerful, structured and concentrated, it’s broad and fleshy with formidable tannins that are far from angular. Very long, and built to last.

Wine Advocate 94: 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 98: 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.

Wine Spectator 95: 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.

James Suckling 96: Pretty, floral nose, also offering mushroomy sous-bois notes that give this a real nebbiolo feel from the outset. Full-bodied with firm, fine tannins that are very polished and anchor the wine nicely. Love the focus here. This will need lots of time to evolve and meld together.

Wine Spectator 95: Sweet, aromatic spices signal this supple, complex red, which is very elegant overall. Underneath the oak, cherry, plum, iron and menthol flavors are allied to a broad profile. This is solidly built and lingers with savory, spice and mineral elements.