2004 Barolo Bussia Riserva
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Tasting notes
The 2004 Barolo Bussia Riserva Oro (magnum) is a selection of fruit from Rocche and Munie that was aged in 150 liter cigarillos. The smaller barrels give the Riserva an extra element of textural softness and silkiness, but that comes at the expense of a touch of the freshness found in the straight Bussia. Dried rose petals, mint, sage, French oak and tobacco add the final layers of nuance.
Critic scores
Average Score
Walter Speller, jancisrobinson.com
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
This Barolo shows so much funky dried-flower and cedar character. It’s like going into a humidor, with tobacco and berry character. It’s full-bodied, with powerful tannins and a floral, berry and Spanish-cedar aftertaste. With time in the glass, it becomes an incredible wine with such depth and complexity. Decant two or three hours before. Only in magnum.
Full-throttle raspberry; so, so lifted. Very clever oak handling and great balance. (WS)
The 2004 Barolo Riserva Bussia Gold Label (tasted from a magnum) shows chewy, ripe tones with sour cherry, wet earth and Spanish cedar. It feels bitter and hollow in the mouth. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018. Parusso is the proverbial square peg that simply won’t fit into a round hole no matter how much effort you put into making that happen. Marco Parusso tells me he adopts a stand-alone winemaking philosophy and doesn’t much care for comparative tastings. I did some digging and discovered that his wines evoke strong reactions in people – either you love them or you hate them. I personally was not a fan. My biggest issue is that they lack varietal typicity. And, if you consider the wines as a group, they are stylistically all over the place. Importer: Regal Wine Imports; Moorestown, NJ; tel. (212) 414-4898