ALDO CONTERNO BAROLO BUSSIA COLONNELLO DOCG ITALY 2021

98 points James Suckling: “A restrained and elegant wine with aromas of citrus, leaves, dried cherries, orange peel and an enticing whiff of peppermint. The palate is graceful despite a full body, tense acidity and firm, muscular yet velvety tannins, but everything is well packed, poised and balanced. Long, lavish and bracing aftertaste. Try from 2027. (4/17/25)”

97 points Michaela Morris (Decanter): “The estate’s first single-vineyard Barolo was introduced in 1970 – the same year that Aldo Conterno struck out on his own. It hails from a 1ha site with predominantly sandy soil, rich in magnesium and manganese. Floral top notes exhibit Nebbiolo’s classic rose scent, nuanced by brushwood, toasted hazelnut and earthy roots. The palate rings out with clarity and precision. Raspberry and rhubarb underlie the silky, finessed tannins. A warning though: there are masses of them! A truffle innuendo haunts the finish. This is a wine to forget about for a few years. Drinking Window: 2029-2047. (1/6/25)”

95+ points Ian D’Agata Wine Review: “Good full red. Decadent red cherry and sweet spice notes dominate on the nose and in the mouth. This is very pretty, with a clean precise mouthfeel that is at once vibrant and austere, yet with plenty of generosity in the mouth. The 30-40 years old vines are planted on SO4 rootstock because it’s basically all sand in the Colonello and so, if the roots aren’t allowed to fish on the surface, the water would be all gone by the time the rest of the grapevines would see any of it. Differently from the 2020, more or less an outlier when it comes to the usual Colonnello wine profile, the 2021 is a very typical wine from this hallowed site. Drinking window: 2030-2042. (5/2/25)”