Poderi Aldo Conterno is, according to James Suckling, “one of the most impressive wine estates in all of Italy, perhaps in the world”, and in fact, the Granbussia 2008 was his Italian Wine of the Year in 2016. Matt Kramer of Wine Spectator called Aldo Conterno “Barolo's greatest winemaker.” Robert Parker even brought a bottle of Barolo Bussia 1989 from his private cellar for his “Bring Your Own Bottle” night. Aldo Conterno’s nickname is “King Of Barolo”. All very high praise indeed, but is it warranted?

The Conterno name has been inseparably intertwined into the fabric of the Barolo countryside for many five generations. Son of the late, great Giacomo Conterno, Aldo had big shoes to fill when he decided to open his own operation in 1969. Setting his sights on the 1750 “Il Favot” winery in the village Monforte d’Alba, Aldo acquired 25 hectares of prime vineyard, perfect for Nebbiolo. Turning the parcels over to sustainable farming, he conserved traditional processes but introduced “radical” (at the time) innovation, such as less fermentation time in order to reduce the tannins so characteristic of Barolo. This may well be where he earned his nickname. Aldo died in 2012 and today his three sons Franco, Stefano and Giacomo run the show, blending the inherent respect to traditionality with modern techniques that only the Italians seem to know how to do.

The summit of Conterno’s portfolio is undoubtedly the Barolo Granbussia, mentioned above. Produced only in exceptional vintages (just eight vintages between 1971 and 1994), Granbussia is a blend of wine from the three vineyard plots. Typically the blend is made from 70% Romirasco, 15% Cicala and 15% Colonello and is so popular that on the rare occasions that the vineyard announces production, bond allocations are extinguished well before Vinitaly, the international trade fair where allocations are traditionally given out. The last vintage to be released was 2009 (250 cases), with bottles trading for approximately €500 in Q2 2019, up from the release price of €390 12-months previously.