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Aldo Conterno, Barolo Bussia Riserva, 1988

Red Wine from Piedmont, Italy
by Aldo Conterno
$599.99
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A nearly forty-year-old Barolo out of a private cellar, fully mature and ready to pour. Aldo Conterno left the family estate in the late 1960s and built his own domaine on the Bussia slopes of Monforte d'Alba, where clay-marl and calcareous soils at 320 to 450 meters give Nebbiolo the cru's signature combination of perfume and grip; the wines got long macerations and years in large Slavonian botti before release, which is what has carried this bottle. 1988 was a firm, classically built vintage in Barolo, a warm, dry season that gave firmly built wines always more about structure than flesh. Nearly four decades on that structure has resolved into the dried rose, tar and truffle that make old Nebbiolo worth waiting for, and Bussia's beautiful cherry note is still detectable underneath. Stand the bottle upright for a day, decant gently off the sediment, and drink it now rather than cellaring it further.

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Antonio Galloni

97 points

"Aldo Conterno’s 1988 Granbussia in magnum is the reply. Wow. What a wine. Still powerful, young and structured, the 1988 simply dazzles with its pure density. I have always considered the 1989 the greatest Granbussia, but the 1988 makes a very strong argument to be included in that conversation." —Antonio Galloni

Robert Parker

95 points

"The 1988 Barolo-Gran Bussia reveals a saturated deep ruby/purple color, and a huge nose of smoky tobacco, black-cherries, herbs, and truffles. Although the wine is tannic, it exhibits stellar concentration, fine acidity, and spectacular length. This massive Barolo will require considerable cellaring." —Robert M. Parker, Jr.

More about Aldo Conterno

Aldo Conterno is truly one of the Piedmonte greats, with a family history that spans five generations. Their Gran Bussia bottling is widely considered to be one of Barolo's greatest wines.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Nebbiolo

  • Vintage

    1988

  • Size

    750ml

  • Farming Practice

    Traditional

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

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Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Brasato al Barolo, tajarin with butter and white truffle, roasted guinea hen or squab, mushroom risotto, and aged Castelmagno or Parmigiano.

Tasting Profile

Faded garnet, with mature aromas of dried rose petal, tar, dried cherry, leather and forest floor. Medium-bodied and silky rather than powerful, with tannins softened to a fine dusty grip and acidity still bright. The finish is long and savory, with dried herbs and orange peel.

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