From the atlas
Poderi Aldo Conterno
Barolo estate at Bussia in Monforte d'Alba, farming 25 hectares across the hill's three highest points and producing four Barolos from Nebbiolo grown in calcareous marl and sandy soil.
At A Glance
| |
| Region | Piedmont, Italy |
| Appellation | Barolo DOCG |
| Village | Monforte d'Alba |
| Main grape | Nebbiolo |
| Signature wines | Cicala, Colonnello, Granbussia |
| Defining feature | Four Barolos from a single high-altitude section of Bussia, aged in large Slavonian oak |
The Producer
At Bussia in Monforte d'Alba, Poderi Aldo Conterno farms 25 hectares across the three highest hills of the Bussia subzone, a compact position from which the estate draws its entire production. Bussia is a prominent south-southwest-facing ridge at around 400 metres above sea level where the calcareous marl and sandy soil produce Nebbiolo with firm tannin and the capacity to age for decades.
Aldo Conterno founded the estate in 1969 after dividing the family domaine with his brother Giovanni. The split came because the brothers found working together difficult, though stylistic disagreement has often been assumed as the cause. From 14 hectares at founding, the estate grew to 25, all remaining within Bussia. Today Aldo's three sons run the operation: Stefano makes the wines, Franco promotes them, and Giacomo looks after the vineyards.
The range is built around four Barolos. Three are single-vineyard wines from the estate's named parcels in Bussia; the fourth, Granbussia, is a multi-site blend made only in top vintages, given exceptionally long ageing before release. Everything ferments in stainless steel and ages in large Slavonian oak casks.
Place
Bussia is a hill within the Monforte d'Alba commune, one of the communes comprising the Barolo production zone in Piedmont. The Barolo appellation is built around Nebbiolo, a late-ripening variety that needs south or south-southwest exposures and well-drained, calcareous soils to ripen fully without losing the acidity and tannin that allow the wines to develop over years in bottle.
Poderi Aldo Conterno sits at the upper end of Bussia, on its three highest hills, at roughly 400 metres. The elevation gives a longer growing season with more pronounced day-to-night temperature variation, which helps preserve aromatic complexity and acidity in the Nebbiolo.
Soil And Site
The vineyards face south-southwest and sit on alternating layers of grey-brown sandy soil and white and bluish calcareous marl rich in calcium carbonate and iron. The sandy layers drain quickly, preventing waterlogging around the roots; the calcareous marl retains enough moisture during dry periods to keep the vines from stress. Calcium carbonate in the subsoil is associated with Barolo's firm tannin and the wine's acidity over time. The iron content contributes to the depth of colour typical of this corner of Bussia.
Story
Aldo Conterno spent his early working years alongside his brother Giovanni on the family's shared domaine in Piedmont. In the 1950s the brothers had considered a winery project outside Italy; Aldo travelled to California to investigate vineyard possibilities. The plan collapsed when his military service intervened and a family bereavement changed the path. He came back to Piedmont and continued working with Giovanni until, in 1969, the two brothers divided the domaine. Aldo took 14 hectares in Bussia, bought the Favot farm, and registered Poderi Aldo Conterno.
Over the following decade he expanded the holdings. The Romirasco vineyard, which Aldo had leased for years, became estate property when he purchased the 3.8-hectare parcel outright in 1980. Romirasco, Cicala and Colonnello became the three single-vineyard pillars of the range.
In the late 1980s Aldo's sons Franco, Stefano and Giacomo joined the work. Around the turn of the millennium, after years of deliberation, the brothers decided to reduce annual output sharply. Decanter documented the cut from roughly 200,000 to around 80,000 bottles per year, with the first vintage to reflect the stricter selection being 2001. The reduction concentrated the estate's attention on the three named single-vineyard parcels and the top-vintage blend.
Aldo died in 2012. The three sons have continued the same winemaking and farming approach.
Vineyards And Cellar
All 25 hectares are within Bussia on its three highest hills, managed with organic methods, though the estate has not published a certifying body. Fruit is harvested by hand, with mid-October the typical picking window.
Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. For the Barolos, the must stays in contact with the skins for 30 days, during which alcoholic fermentation completes. The extended skin contact extracts the colour, tannin and grip that Barolo requires for long ageing. After maceration the new wine is racked several times, then transferred to Slavonian oak casks ranging from 25 to 75 hectolitres, which are replaced on a 15 to 18-year cycle. Slavonian oak is a traditional Barolo choice: the large cask size limits the ratio of wood surface to wine, so the oak influence is gradual and the contribution of vanilla or toast is far smaller than it would be in smaller French barrels. Selected yeasts are not used.
Cicala is planted primarily to the Lampia clone of Nebbiolo, with Michet also present. Colonnello reverses the proportion, with Michet as the main variety and Lampia secondary. Michet is a clone associated with smaller berries and more concentrated musts; Lampia is the more widely planted clone across Barolo, with a broader aromatic range.
Wines
The four Barolos divide into two tiers. Cicala, Colonnello and Romirasco are the single-vineyard wines, each bottled under the Barolo Bussia DOCG designation and each expressing the character of its named section of the hill. Granbussia is the blend of the three sites, made only when the vintage quality justifies it and given a longer ageing period before release than the single-vineyard wines.
Cicala comes from the parcel where Lampia dominates. Colonnello, where Michet leads, is described by one professional assessment as the most balletic of the single-vineyard wines, its fruit carried by strictness and sinew. The two wines share the same 30-day maceration and the same large-cask élevage but express their parcels differently.
Granbussia is not produced every year. Its extended ageing and vintage-selective release make it the estate's rarest bottle and the one requiring the most patience before opening.
In The Glass
The estate's Barolos are wines of earth and firm tannin before they are wines of open fruit. Nebbiolo from these calcareous Bussia soils tends toward dried rose petal and tar on the nose, with high acidity and the grippy, drying tannin that is the grape's signature in this appellation. The 30-day maceration and the large Slavonian oak casks reinforce rather than soften the tannin: the wood adds some aromatic complexity over time but does not mask it.
Cicala, assessed professionally in the 2021 vintage, shows deep concentration with earth taking clear precedence over primary fruit at an early stage. The 2021 is described as exceptionally deep but balanced and refreshing, with the capacity to age for 20 to 30 years. Colonnello in 2021 is characterised as the most balletic of the single-vineyard wines, its fruit supported by strictness and sinew and a muscular, velvety tannin frame. Both wines ask for time.
A Bottle To Understand It
Colonnello is the bottle to open first. Among the single-vineyard wines, it is the one professional assessors describe as the most balletic, its firm tannin and bright acidity carrying fruit that feels pure rather than austere. The Michet-dominant Colonnello vineyard produces a wine that shows the Bussia character, the large-cask oak regime, and the estate's commitment to 30-day maceration without Cicala's more introverted, earth-first disposition in youth. It is still a wine that rewards several years in the cellar, but it offers more fruit presence earlier in its life, a clearer introduction to what these Barolos are before moving to the darker Cicala or to Granbussia in a top vintage.
Anecdote
Aldo Conterno had leased the Romirasco vineyard within Bussia for years before he was able to buy it. The lease gave him fruit and a say over farming, but not ownership of the land. In 1980 that changed: Aldo purchased the 3.8-hectare parcel outright. Romirasco is described by observers as arguably the greatest of the three Bussia sites the estate farms. The purchase brought the full complement of the estate's named single-vineyard parcels under ownership: Cicala, Colonnello and Romirasco, all within Bussia, all at altitude, all now permanent.
Final Word
Poderi Aldo Conterno is a Barolo estate built around one hill and four wines. The 25 hectares at Bussia, the 30-day macerations, and the large Slavonian oak casks produce Nebbiolo that rewards patience, with Colonnello offering the most accessible introduction and Granbussia reserved for exceptional vintages.
Sources
- https://www.poderialdoconterno.com/en/contacts
- https://www.decanter.com/premium/producer-profile-poderi-aldo-conterno-386389/
- https://massanois.com/brand/aldo/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldo_Conterno
- https://www.poderialdoconterno.com/en/wines/cicala
- https://www.poderialdoconterno.com/en/wines/colonnello
- https://www.farrvintners.com/wine.php?wine=110044
- https://www.farrvintners.com/wine.php?wine=110042