2005 Barolo Granbussia Riserva

The 2005 Barolo Riserva Granbussia is shaping up to be one of the great wines of the vintage. The bouquet is classic Barolo to the core – pure rose petals, tar, licorice, orange peel and leather. The 2005 is a wine of contrasts. It is at once powerful yet delicate, rich yet weightless. In other words, it captures all of the elements that make Nebbiolo such a fascinating grape. Both bottles I tasted were spectacular. Within the context of Granbussia, the 2005 isn’t likely to be one of the longer-lived vintages, but it is stunning right now. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2025. ||My tasting at Aldo Conterno was one of the highlights of my recent trip to Piemonte. The 2008s are super-classic wines that will thrill Barolo lovers. The harvest took place at the end of October, quite late by modern-day standards. The Conterno brothers continue to lengthen macerations. In 2008 the Granbussia saw 40-45 days of skin contact, the longest ever. Speaking of Granbussia, Conterno has cut production on their flagship wine by a whopping two-thirds in order to bottle only the best juice under their top label. This also frees up juice for the Romirasco bottling, which is now a permanent part of the lineup, rather than a wine that is only made when there is no Granbussia, which was the case until just a few years ago. The unexpected success of the Romirasco bottling is one of the many positive things that have taken place at Aldo Conterno recently. The Conterno family embodies so many of the human values that make Piemonte such a special place. It’s great to see them back at the top of their game. Wine Advocate.April, 2012