Piero Busso by Vasyl Velykanskiy

The Piero Busso story begins with heartbreak. In 1948, Guido Busso hand-planted his first Nebbiolo vines in the Albesani cru of Neive, only to die from tetanus at age 32 before seeing his first harvest. His widow, Ada, maintained the vineyard for three decades, selling most fruit to neighbours while keeping the dream alive. When his son, Piero, abandoned his veterinary studies to return home in 1979, driven by an irresistible yearning for the Langhe, he bottled the estate's first commercial Barbaresco in 1982. Today, under third-generation leadership since 2010, the 10-hectare estate has transformed from local producer to what critics call "among the absolute finest Barbaresco has to offer," with holdings across four prestigious crus and vines ranging from 25 to 80 years old.

Pierguido Busso, who took over daily operations in 2010, follows a philosophy of radical terroir transparency. All Barbaresco crus receive identical vinification - same 40-45 day macerations with submerged cap, same indigenous yeast fermentation, same 2-3 years in 25-hectoliter Slavonian oak casks - deliberately eliminating winemaking variables to highlight each vineyard's unique character. The estate has been certified organic since 2019, though they've avoided synthetic herbicides since the 1970s. Harvest involves no more than eight experienced pickers using 15-18 kilogram baskets, with the same team returning for 10-15 years. Pierguido describes their approach as "80% viticulture, 20% cellar work," emphasising minimal intervention to preserve site expression.

Piero Busso represents a distinctive model for Barbaresco's evolution - maintaining traditional long macerations and large oak ageing while embracing organic certification and scientific precision. The estate's 50,000 annual bottle production across four crus allows unprecedented terroir comparison through identical winemaking, while old-vine selections from plantings dating to 1948 connect directly to the founder's original vision. Under Pierguido's "fastidious and exacting" management, sleepless nights over even minor cellar renovations reflect an obsession with preserving ambient yeasts and terroir integrity. This combination of historical continuity, technical rigour, and minimal intervention has elevated a family tragedy's legacy into what many consider Barbaresco's most exciting contemporary producer - proof that in wine, as in life, the most profound expressions often emerge from the deepest roots.

Four crus, four expressions of Barbaresco terroir

Mondino (Balluri MGA) occupies elevated hillside terrain at 240 meters with Sant'Agata Fossili marls rich in sand, producing the estate's most approachable wines. San Stunet in Treiso represents extreme viticulture - 400 meters elevation on limestone-dominated Lequio formations with southeast exposure creating what Pierguido considers potentially "the next great cru of Barbaresco." Gallina surprises with clay-dominated Sant'Agata marls, unusual for Neive, its 170-250 meter slopes facing the Tanaro River producing round, silky wines despite powerful winds. Albesani, the historic heart surrounding the winery at 280 meters, combines calcareous clay with silt on ideal southwest-facing slopes, home to the estate's oldest vines and most structured wines.

Piero Busso Barberesco Mondino 2021

From the Balluri MGA at 240 meters elevation, this 1.6-hectare site features calcareous-sandy soils with high sand content from 40-50 year old vines. Uniquely fermented in stainless steel rather than wood, with 25-30 days of maceration and hand pump-overs. The wine ages 18 months in 25-hectoliter Slavonian oak, deliberately shorter to preserve the cru's characteristic suppleness.

Beautiful and ripe, but still finding itself. Strawberries and cherries upfront, coffee-chocolate undertones, red flowers floating through. Dangerously drinkable for something that clearly needs more time - those green tannins and citrusy vitamin C edge give it away. Classic young Nebbiolo confusion: gorgeous today, probably transcendent in five years. Patience required, but the bones are all there.

Piero Busso Langhe Nebbiolo 2023

The estate's entry wine sources from younger vines (10-25 years) on clay-sandy soils at 180-200 meters elevation in Neive. Fermentation occurs at 28-30°C with 25-30 days skin contact, shorter than single vineyards, using indigenous yeasts with pied de cuve starter. Unlike the crus, this wine sees frequent pump-overs rather than a submerged cap, ageing just 12 months in large neutral oak before bottling.

Same wine as a few days ago blind, but today that greenness is screaming at me - hence the rating drop. The nose is all used tea leaves and green stems, with cherry and plum trying to push through. There's this slight sweetness that acts like a diplomatic mediator between your palate and those savage young tannins. Proper Langhe DNA, no question, and honestly quite tasty if you're into the whole tea-forward style of baby Nebbiolo. But fuck me, it's green. Like, properly astringent and tannic in that way that makes your mouth feel like leather. This needs years, not months. Right now it's all potential and punishment.

Piero Busso Barberesco San Stunet 2021

The estate's highest vineyard at 400 meters in Treiso commune encompasses 1.5 hectares of what Pierguido calls "crazy steep, windy, and completely exposed" terrain. Yellow marls with limestone dominate the thin soils, creating conditions so extreme that harvest occurs 10 days after other sites. The 25-35 year old vines undergo traditional fermentation with careful extraction, followed by two years in large oak - these wines need an additional 1-2 years to show their best.

OK, this is stupidly my style. Super delicate, feminine in all the right ways - floral, perfumed, the kind of nose you just want to keep returning to. It's love at first sniff. The tea thing here is more refined Ya'an than the Liu An basket tea character in Busso's other wines. Touch of meat and liquorice keeping it grounded. Of the whole lineup, this is the only one actually ready to drink today. Juicy, delicate, beautiful, dangerously drinkable. This is Nebbiolo in silk gloves, whispering sweet nothings. Exactly what I want from Barberesco when I'm not in the mood for a fight.

Piero Busso Barberesco Gallina 2021

This renowned 1.3-hectare site at 220-240 meters features Sant'Agata marls unusually rich in clay for Neive. The 40+ year old vines face southwest toward the Tanaro River in a notably windy microclimate. Fermentation occurs in wooden vats (1,000-2,500 litres) with 40-45 days submerged cap maceration, ageing two years in Slavonian oak. Interestingly, the 2019 vintage required 26 months of ageing due to exceptional concentration.

Beautiful, but Christ, this is loaded like a weapon. Wound tight as a spring, all that Gallina power coiled up and waiting. Sage and wild cherry wrestling with dried roses, everything vibrating with energy. The tannins are still green and granular - you can actually feel the individual grains on your palate, like the wine's been pixelated. Screaming acidity cuts through everything. This is Nebbiolo on steroids, flexing so hard it forgot how to relax. Needs years to unwind, but when it does? Nuclear? Who knows, I am not a forture teller. Right now it's all potential energy and violence. Impressive as hell, just not particularly interested in being friends yet.

Piero Busso Barbaresco Albesani Riserva Viti Vecchie 2019

The estate's flagship comes from vines planted in 1948 surrounding the family home at 210-240 meters elevation. These 70-75-year-old vines on calcareous-clay-silt soils undergo extended 60-day submerged cap maceration - double the normal length. Ageing extends to three years in smaller 10-hectoliter casks rather than standard 25-hectoliter barrels, exceeding legal Riserva requirements of 50 months total ageing. Production represents "just a single barrel" in exceptional vintages.

Delicate, perfumed nose that makes you lean in close. Blackberries and roses over earth, tea leaves and tobacco weaving through. Complex and beautiful, but fuck, this is embryonic. The acidity is savage, cutting through everything with chalky minerality, while those tannins are drier than academic prose. The whole thing's locked up tighter than a vault. There's this curious fennel-celery greenness that I can't decide if I love or just find intriguing. You can taste the old vines doing their thing - all that depth and complexity - but right now it's like watching a brilliant film through frosted glass. Fascinating to drink from vines this ancient, just wish they were more interested in conversation. This needs a decade to become what it's meant to be. Classic case of greatness in waiting.

Piero Busso Barbaresco Gallina Viti Vecchie 2019

Selected from 65-70 year old vines planted in the early 1950s within the Gallina cru, this wine sees 60-65 days submerged cap maceration. While following extended ageing protocols similar to Riserva standards, this may not carry the official Riserva designation. First produced in 2015, it represents the estate's premium Gallina selection with an extra year of bottle ageing before release.

Beautiful. It's like Curiosity Cola mixed with menthol, pine needles, and tarragon. The cherry here is properly sexy - aromatic and heady, flowers everywhere. But Christ, this is hard to drink. Charged like a Tesla coil, but it's just stupidly painful to swallow. Every sip feels like the wine's trying to suck out your soul. You can feel all that power, all that potential, but fuck me, I'm not a prophet - how am I supposed to know what this becomes in ten years? Probably transcendent, but today it's pure masochism. Beautiful masochism, sure, but still. This is wine that makes you question your life choices while simultaneously admiring its brilliance. Like being punched by someone gorgeous - you're impressed and in pain at the same time.

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