Prunotto’s Barolo Bussia turns 60 years old

The tastings that in the wine world are called verticals are almost always a journey through time: they tell the story of a winery, the evolution of taste and changes in production styles. This is precisely what happened during the vertical tasting organized by Prunotto, to celebrate the 60 years of Barolo Bussia, titled for the occasion. “In search of the identity of Barolo Bussia”.

An event that was also a tribute to a journey: glass after glass, the tastings revealed the soul of what we can consider the Barolo’s “classic” Bussia, one of the 181 MGA of the DOCG. A Barolo capable of being expressive from the earliest vintages, with rather ample and very pleasant tannins, good body volume and a fruity persistence reminiscent of blue and red berries. Also striking is an intense floral note, almost like a rose distillate.

An identity built over time

Characteristics that had convinced Beppe Colla, a visionary winemaker and Barolo innovator, who in 1956 bought Prunotto, enhancing its potential: after a trip to Burgundy in 1961, he began to think about the vinification of individual plots, an intuition that today seems almost inevitable, but was then authentically pioneering.

Founded in 1904 as a social winery, the company owes its name to Alfredo and Luigina Prunotto, who in 1922 turn it into one of the first Piedmontese companies able to look out across the ocean. On this history, and the transportation of Colla for this part of the Langa on the border with Monforte, is grafted the arrival of the family Antinori, who in 1994 decided to invest in the Langhe as well and took over the winery.

Also in response to climate change, since 2012 (and then more decisively in 2014) the goal becomes clear: to arrive at a “freer” version of Bussia, in which tannic readiness and elegance coexist, with energy and volume capable of reflecting the profile of the vintages. Not that this was not the case before, but the stylistic figure came to the fore, marked by historical influences that favored the use of barrique. Which, moreover, during the vertical, confirmed their ability to maintain integrity and sustain the wine over time.

The vineyards and the new winery

Prunotto produces on 8 hectares of property, 7 of which are practically in a single body with the winery, located in the center of the vineyards, there where the road ends in one of the most picturesque corners of the Langa, especially in autumn, during foliage.

With the opening of the new winery in 2011, designed respecting the architecture and morphology of the land, Prunotto was able to expand the range of cru produced, from the Vigna Colonnello a Costamiole up to Cerretta.

The vertical: a journey through technique (and style)

The tasting journey starts from 1978 and also recounts Beppe Colla’s technical vision: fermentations in concrete tanks with destemmed grapes, two pumpovers a day for about ten days and two years of aging in large barrels. An essential and clean vinification, already geared to enhance the expression of the vineyard.

From 1985 evolution is consistent with the times: fermentations in steel, two daily punching-downs, macerations of about ten days and aging for two years in large barrels of 25, 50 and 75 hectoliters. The plots are vinified separately and then blended according to the vintage reading: an approach that testifies to Bussia’s sensitivity to complexity.

Harvesting, now as then, is completed in seven to ten days, reflecting the heterogeneity of soils and microzones.

Vintages such as 1978 e 1985 shine with classicism and longevity; the 1996 shows instead the fresher profile of Nebbiolo, while the 2004 remains a reference of balance: cool spring, moderate summer, autumn with strong temperature swings, ideal conditions for a vibrant Nebbiolo.

In the winery, too, the story changes: Colla leads until 1994, followed by Danilo Drocco, and finally it is Gianluca Torrengo who has been overseeing the winery since 1999.

Bussia according to Antinori

If for Albiera Antinori “the Bussia represents a personal and identity bond.” for Renzo Cotarella (agronomist, enologist and Antinori CEO) “gives a technical and poetic reading of the place.”

We are in a natural amphitheater, in a geologically complex area created by the retreat of the Adriatic Sea and the uplift of the Apennines. A mosaic of soils that Nebbiolo interprets with transparency: sweeter tannins than in other areas of Barolo, elegance rather than power, depth rather than volume.

From 2014 the spirit returns toward a greater original purity of Bussia, favoring finesse, extractive lightness and territorial fidelity over the power sought in the more recent past. The result emerges above all from the 2017 forward, with subtle, long and bright wines, where the sweetness of the tannin accompanies aromatic sharpness and tension.

Barolo Riserva Bussia 1978 Prunotto

Score: 94/100
Approximate price: off-the-shelf

100% Nebbiolo. Matures in large barrels. Bright garnet ruby. Rhubarb, coffee, memories of cherry, blackberry jam, oriental spices and hints of vanilla on the nose. Silky tannin, broad, integrated with the matter, very persistent, dense, with great depth and dynamism and sweetness on the fruit on the palate, with an incredible return in the finish on rose, peony and morello cherry.

Barolo Bussia 1985 Prunotto

Score: 96/100
Approximate price: off-the-shelf

100% Nebbiolo. Matures in large barrels. Ruby with orangey hint. On the nose, blackberry and small red fruits, very expressive, with hints of dried flowers, graphite. On the sip it is lively, still very dynamic, with a vibrant tension culminating in a taste reminiscent of blood orange and a more savory veil integrated with a fine tannic texture.

Barolo Bussia 1996 Prunotto

Score: 94/100
Approximate price: € 85

100% Nebbiolo. Matures in large barrels. Ruby tending to garnet, medium intensity. On the nose, hints of wild strawberries, blueberry and hints of cinnamon and with aeration coffee, licorice, earthy and tea notes. Sip with dense tannin and integrated with a rich palate reminiscent of morello cherry and slightly roasted sensations.

Barolo Bussia 2004 Prunotto

Score: 93/100
Approximate price: € 75

100% Nebbiolo. Matures in barrique for 18 months. Intense ruby with light garnet hint, already anticipating a great solidity, The nose, sharp on violet and currant, shows off its opening on fruits, oriental and boisé spices, cinnamon, cloves. Textured, viscous sip, with plush tannins in which the passage in wood is perceived before a great fruity sweetness in the finish.

Barolo Bussia 2008 Prunotto

Score: 95/100
Approximate price: € 80

100% Nebbiolo. Matures in barrique for 18 months. Bright ruby with garnet hint. On the nose, currant, blackberry, wild flowers, with a hint of slight fruit evolution. On the sip, it expresses itself with great energy, a mineral profile and a tension that seeks balance between flesh, acidity and tannin, still a bit green.

Barolo Bussia 2016 Prunotto

Score: 94/100
Approximate price: € 60

100% Nebbiolo. Matures in oak barrels of different capacities for at least 18 months. Ruby tending to garnet. On the nose, blackberry, morello cherry and hints of gunpowder along with cherries under spirits. On the sip, great richness and volume, enveloping tannins for great harmony.

Barolo Bussia 2019 Prunotto

Score: 96/100
Approximate price: € 85

100% Nebbiolo. Matures in oak barrels of different capacities for at least 18 months. Bright bright ruby. On the nose, cherry and a delicacy reminiscent of rose essential oil. Energetic sip with vibrant but caressing tannins that energize a broad, layered palate of great agility and tension thanks to lively acidity.

Barolo Bussia 2021 Prunotto

Score: 94/100
Approximate price: € 75

100% Nebbiolo. Matures in oak barrels of different capacities for at least 18 months. Bright ruby. On the nose, notes of eucalyptus, pomegranate and goji berries. The sip is rich, texturally persistent with integrated tannins already pleasingly in harmony with the fruit. Elegant and with good tension.