Poderi Aldo Conterno, `Bussia` 2005 Barolo, , Italy

PRODUCER Aldo Conterno is one of the historic names of Italian . The Conterno family has been making wine in Monforte since at least the 1700s. Aldo's grandfather, Giovanni Conterno, founded his own winery in 1908 which was then run by his son, Giacomo. After a stint in the USA in the 1950s, Aldo worked with his older brother Giovanni in this winery until he decided to strike out on his own in 1969. Aldo's three sons now make the wine (Stefano) and run the business (Franco and Giacomo). Over the years, production has been deliberately reduced and the family now produces 80,000 bottles rather than the 200,000 produced in 1998.

VINEYARDS The Barolo is no longer 'Bussia' as the vines from another of the Conterno vineyards from the commune of Barolo are now 26 years old so have been deemed worthy of inclusion in their Barolo. The new vineyard accounts for 15% of the blend, hence the change in name. The rest of the fruit still comes from one of the best vineyards on the Bussia Soprana hill.

VINTAGE The name comes from the Italian 'nebbia' meaning fog, and refers to the time of harvest. Nebbiolo is always the last grape to be picked in Piemonte and in 2005, the grapes were hand picked in mid-October. The resulting are more forward than the 2004 vintage and are showing lovely aromatics with a forward yet savoury fruit.

VINIFICATION Temperature controlled fermentation took place in stainless steel tank with temperatures around 28°C. Maceration on the skins and fermentation lasted 20 days. The wine remained in stainless steel for a further three to five months after which it was transferred to large Slovenian barrels where it remained for 27 months Grape Varieties 100% Nebbiolo before bottling. Winemaker Stefano Conterno TASTING NOTES Closure Natural Cork The 2005 Barolo is dark garnet in colour, with brilliant ruby lights. On ABV 14.5% the nose it is fragrant, with perfumes of red fruits, flowers and spice, particularly violets, maraschino cherries and nutmeg. Lovely rounded tannins on the palate give structure to the fruit which is more accessible than the previous vintage. A perfect balance and a long, perfumed finish