Current wines in my cellar

Bussi Piero

I am happy to say that the wines of Bussi Piero has become our "house wines". Main reasons are that they make excellent wine with craftsmanship and generations of knowledge,  their Cantina is close to our house in Calosso and they are all very nice people! The grapes are all grown on the the clay limestone hilly land about 60-150 meters below Calosso village, fermented in steel tanks.

Cortese is a white Italian wine grape variety predominantly grown in the southeastern regions of Piedmont in the provinces of Alessandria and Asti. Cortese has a long history in Italian viticulture with written documentation naming the grape among the plantings in a Piedmontese vineyard as early as 1659. The grape's moderate acidity and light flavors has made it a favorite for the restaurants in nearby Genoa as a wine pairing with the local seafood caught off the Ligurian coast.

With an alcohol level slightly above 12 % It has a brilliant bright straw yellow with golden reflections. With an Intense but delicate floral filled fruity aroma. The flavor is fresh with light bubbles fruity and according to me with a hint of pine tree sap. Serving Temperature 7/8°C and we think that an ice cube can make the taste experience even better on a sunny afternoon.

Barbera

The Barbera grape is believed to have originated in the hills of Monferrato in central Piemonte, Italy, where it has been known from the thirteenth century. It is the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy (after Sangiovese and Montepulciano) and produces good yields, known for deep color, full body, low tannins and high levels of acidity. When young, the wines offer a very intense aroma of fresh red cherries and blackberries. It is by many considered a grape that can give wine that does not need ageing - "if it is good from start - why wait?"

The vines of the vineyard grow 350-400 meters above sea level on limestone clay and the actual vines are 30 - 60 years old. Fermented in steel barrels. 

In general for Barbera the grape's high acidity and moderate astringency has made winemakers blend it with varieties lacking those components and creating a softer and potentially more balanced wine as a result. This is not needed with the Barbera from Piero Bussi but I have found that a blend of 50% Dolcetto and 50% Barbera to be excellent combination bringing both these wines to new levels.

Dolcetto

Dolcetto means "little sweet one" and is a black Italian wine grape variety widely grown in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. The wines produced are nearly always dry. They can be tannic and fruity with moderate or decidedly low levels of acidity and are typically meant to be consumed within a few years after release. The Dolcetto from Piero Bussi has become one of my favorite wines.

Fermentation in steel tanks and bottling on the next spring after the harvest. An alcohol level of 13% with a deep ruby red color. the flavour is soft and easily drinkable, with low acidity and a slight tannins. Serve at 16/18°C and drink with pretty much everything or only as an Aperitif. 

Gamba di Pernice  Translated from Italian, its name means "partridge leg" and is a reference to the red colored stalks of the vines. The grapes is mainly used for making DOC Calosso, a small volume red wine which was granted Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) status in 2011. The current DOC recognized area of production for the wine covers only about 10 hectares of vines in the municipalities of Calosso, Costigliole d'Asti and Castagnole Lanze in the Asti Province. Gamba di Pernice is therefore one of the lowest production varietal wines in Italy with its own DOC. Total production is around 30 000 bottles per year (2017). Although lightly colored, Gamba di Pernice wines have concentrated flavors with a spicy, herbal character and the ability to age well.

Worth noting is that Gamba di Pernice is one of varieties that survived the phylloxera at the end of the nineteenth century. It was considered of secondary importance compared to the main commercial grapes in the area, but was rediscovered at the beginning of the 2000s by wine growers near Calosso.

Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo is the grape that Piedmonte is most well known for. Piedmonte is the native region for Nebbiolo, where it makes the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) the most famous wines of the region - Barolo, Barbaresco, Roero, Gattinara, Carema and Ghemme. Nebbiolo is thought to derive its name from the Italian nebbia or Piedmontese nebia, meaning "fog". During harvest, which generally takes place late in October, a deep, intense fog sets into the Langhe region where many Nebbiolo vineyards are located. Alternative explanations refers to the fog-like glaucous veil that forms over the berries as they reach maturity, or that perhaps the name is derived instead from the Italian word nobile, meaning noble.Nebbiolo produces lightly-colored red wines which can be highly tannic in youth with scents of tar and roses. As they age, the wines take on a characteristic brick-orange hue at the rim of the glass and mature to reveal other aromas and flavors such as violets, tar, wild herbs, cherries, raspberries, truffles, tobacco, and prunes. Nebbiolo wines can require years of aging to balance the tannins with other characteristics. 

I have some older Nebbiolo but mainly Piero Bussi 2022 in my cellar. I have made two versions where the time Most of it has been only medium oaked during 1 month and longer oaked during about 3 months. I will try to age but, since I do not use any sulphur I think that many bottels may be lost in time....

Cantina di Nizza 

Chardonnay 2021 - Straw yellow with golden reflections. Plain and good made from grapes in the Nizza Monferrato area. Serve at 10-12C.


Cantina del Nebbiolo

Roero Arneis - Arneis  means "little rascal, in Piemontese" and is probably called so since it is regarded as a somewhat difficult variety to grow. It is a crisp and floral varietal, and has been grown for centuries in the region. The white wines made from the Arneis grape tend to be dry and full bodied with notes of pears and apricots. It is the signature white wine of the Roero region. It comes from the vineyards in Roero region with Arneis cultivated on limy marl soil with outcrops of sandstone. 

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