Winemaker Notes
The particular mineral component of the Bussia terroir gives the wine great structure and intense color, clear and enveloping tannins with a long and consistent aftertaste. The scent of red fruits such as raspberry and very ripe pomegranate blend well with spicy and balsamic notes.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2020 Barolo Bussia is one of the most impressive wines in this range from Einaudi. Ample and explosive on the palate, with striking depth, the Bussia has a level of complexity that is not found in the other wines. Strong spice and balsamic inflections weave through a core of fruit in this resonant, wonderfully expressive Barolo.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Showing ripe strawberry aromas with dark, tarry notes at the back, the Poderi Luigi Einaudi 2020 Barolo Bussia is a full-bodied Barolo with savory tobacco leaf, crushed rose, toasted spice and ferrous earthy sensations. The tannins are dry, and the wine show dark austerity.
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Jeb Dunnuck
A youthful bright brick red color, the 2020 Barolo Bussia is spicy and forward with notes of licorice, peppercorn, red cherries, burnt orange peel, and dried soil. Midweight and grippy, it has refreshing acidity, with good length and a bright, clean finish. Drink 2025-2037.
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James Suckling
Notes of red plums and cherries with hints of blue flowers, ground cloves and bark. Medium- to full-bodied with fine, velvety tannins rounding your palate. Dry and juicy with some austerity at the end. Chalky and mineral. Try after 2028.
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Wine Enthusiast
Crushed red fruits, orange peel, and a captivating Aperol-like note mingle with floral hints. The palate is pretty, boasting ample fruits without being overwrought. Tasty, mouthwatering, and well-centered, this wine offers good density and a lot of character without being in your face. Drink Now - 2045.
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Wine Spectator
There is considerable heft to this red, along with bright cherry and raspberry fruit. Reveals tar, iron and eucalyptus notes as this extends on the long aftertaste. Shows energy and balance; just needs time. Best from 2027 through 2043.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.