2000 Busso Piero Barbaresco Vigna Borgese
($64) Full red. Redcurrant, tobacco, nutty oak and underbrush. Sweet and fleshy, with flavors similar to the aromas. Offers decent acidity and modest complexity. A bit medicinal on the finish, with even, dusty tannins.
2000 Busso Piero Barbaresco Santo Stefanetto
($67) Full deep red-ruby. Deep aromas of raspberry and redcurrant liqueur and menthol; showed a roasted ripeness, more oak spice and a hint of rusticity with aeration. Then bigger and richer than the Borgese, with darker fruit flavors and notes of truffle, licorice and menthol. Finishes with fairly dense, slightly drying tannins. Needs a couple years of additional time in bottle.
2001 Busso Piero Barbaresco Vigna Borgese
($64) Full red. High-pitched aromas of maraschino cherry, strawberry, flowers and spicy oak; more precise than the 2000. Juicy and lively in the mouth, with clearly delineated flavors of red berries, flowers, mint and spices. Nicely consistent Barbaresco with an attractive light touch. Finishes with sweet tannins and very good persistence.
2001 Busso Piero Barbaresco Santo Stefanetto
($67) Bright, dark red. High-toned, vibrant aromas of strawberry, raspberry, rose petal and spicy oak. Rich and full but quite suave and laid-back; less open than the Borgese but deeper and more layered. Finishes with substantial but lush tannins and excellent building length. An impressively lush, very well balanced Barbaresco-perhaps the best I've yet tasted from this producer. (Vias Imports, New York NY
