Poderi Colla Dardi le Rose Barolo Bussia 2018

The Collas' 2018 Bussia bottling is an outright stunner, and a clear testament to the fact that the estate is one of unwavering consistency. The 2018 is laced with dark fruit, smoke, menthol, tobacco, licorice and a host of balsamic-infused nuances that are such a signature. The subtlety of the wine is extraordinary for a young Barolo, offering a dazzling constellation of classic Barolo scents. On the palate, the typically stern tannins of a young Barolo are finely polished and are buoyed by the refreshing acidity from the site's high elevation. What one perceives in the mouth mirrors the nose, with the addition of brown earth, dried cherry, aperol, toasted cedar, almond flower and fresh porcini.  Floral and savory to the bone, this lends itself perfectly to any holiday feast. 

It is only a matter of time before the world comes to fully embrace the magnitude and relevance of the Colla family in the cultural and historical fabric of the Langhe. Though the family’s estate, as it exists today, has only been in operation since the mid-1990s (and continues to fly seemingly under the radar), the Colla name has been deeply connected to the Alba region and its vines for over 300 years. The family’s most revered member, Beppe Colla, rose to prominence as the owner of the now-iconic Prunotto estate, stewarding the cantina from 1956 through until its sale to the Antinori family in the early 1990s, and is lauded as being the first producer to bottle a Barolo that designated the particular cru (Bussia) on the label, effectively bringing global notoriety to his region, and blazing the trail for the site-specific wines that have become the true hallmarks of the Langhe. Today, Poderi Colla is in fact an amalgamation of 3 separate properties, spread across Barolo and Barbaresco, though operating under one Umbrella, with Beppe’s younger brother Tino and Beppe’s daughter Frederica continuing the family’s output of finely tuned and highly traditional wines.