Parusso Bussia Vigna Rocche 1997
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Wine Spectator
Dark ruby red. Pretty plum and wild strawberry, with fresh mushroom. Full-bodied, with a solid core of ripe fruit and silky tannins. Long and pretty.--1997 Italian blind retrospective. Drink now through 2015. 500 cases made.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The explosive, dense ruby/purple-colored 1997 Barolo Bussia Vigna Rocche possesses a dramatic, concentrated personality as well as an exceptional bouquet of minerals, black fruits, tar, tobacco, and subtle new oak. This massive, concentrated Barolo exhibits terrific glycerin and fruit, in addition to a fleshy, nicely structured, well-delineated finish. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020.
Winemaker Marco Parusso was overwhelmed with emotion when he discovered an old document at his family’s estate in Barolo. Dated 1901, the crumbling contract, signed by his grandfather, Gaspare Parusso, was evidence of his purchase of a parcel of land called “Mariondino” – the small vineyard where he first planted Nebbiolo, and where the Parusso story begins. As a humble agrarian, Gaspare began selling his grapes to friends and local cooperatives and added a farmhouse to the estate in 1925 (which still stands today) overlooking the rolling Rocche vineyard. It wasn’t until 1971 that Armando, Gaspare’s son, saw even greater potential in this small piece of land, and began the adventure of crafting his own wines under his own family label.
Without fully realizing it, Armando had slowly begun to transform the family from farmers to vintners. He bought property in Bussia and Mosconi in order to expand production, working closely with young Marco, who became fascinated with winemaking at an early age. Marco Parusso began working full-time in the cellar in 1986 after attending enology school in Alba. Since then, he has successfully grown the estate from a small local winery to one of the most respected names in Barolo.
Besides traditional techniques, Parusso has pioneered the concept of micro-zoning soils based on the individual characteristics of each plot. Individual attention is given to each and every section of the vineyard, adjusting for any particular needs of the vines’ fertilization, pruning and harvest methods. “The purpose of our work is to ensure the longest natural life cycle of the plant in order to obtain the highest quality and most balanced grapes,” says Marco.
Today, Parusso operates on 22 hectares of land, producing just over 100,000 bottles annually. The winemaking is solely focused on indigenous Piedmontese varieties: Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera. All wines are carefully crafted, combining structure with finesse and elegance, resulting in beautiful, fresh, fruity wines that can be enjoyed in their youth but are also able to evolve and develop incredible complexity over the years.
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.