Barolo from the OG Cru

Our collection of Barolo is ever-growing. Which poses a puzzle: How much Barolo can we fit on our shelves? If we didn't need to consider the entirety of Italy—frappato from Sicily, aglianico from Campania, ciliegiolo from Umbria—we could easily stock only these storied gems from the hills of Piedmont. But because we must edit, we do so with great consideration. Of all the Baroli we can access, we never turn down those of Giacomo Fenocchio, a 160-year-old estate tucked into the hills of Monforte d'Alba overlooking the vineyards of Bussia, the OG cru. 

Thanks to The Piedmont Guy, an importer that deals exclusively in the region, we are one of the few shops in the country to receive Fenocchio's 2018 Bussia (current vintage is 2022). If you were at our nebbiolo class this spring, you'll have tasted the 2020, a lithe and energetic wine, pale ruby in color, whose liveliness belies its ageability. Where some Baroli are muscular and brooding, Fenocchio's Bussia is elegant, lifted, joyful. Sourced from calcareous clay soils from 35-year-old vines, the 2018 is fermented for 40 days, aged 6 months in stainless, and then 30 months in large Slavonian casks. This is nebbiolo of mythic status that can be drunk now, but will age beautifully—a total steal, even without this offer.