Piero Busso Barberesco Mondino 2021
- Region
- Italy » Piedmont » Barbaresco DOCG
- Type
- red still, dry
- Producer
- Vintage
- 2021
- Grapes
- Nebbiolo
- Alcohol
- 14.5
- Volume
- 750 mL
- Cellar
- not available
- Find at
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.
Ratings
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.
A wonderfully playful nose - fresh forest berries and wild rose, initially evoking Pinot Noir. But with time, it unfolds further, revealing layers of herbs, spices, and a subtle touch of smoke. The tannins and structure, however, firmly point to Nebbiolo. Juicy and vibrant on the palate, with a great sense of tension. It's undeniably young, but after a few hours in the decanter, it becomes quite approachable while still holding its edge.
About Producer
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.
Related Wines
