2000 Monti Barolo Bussia DOCG 750 ml

It’s hard to think of a wine that benefits more from time in the cellar than great Barolo. Often stern and structured in its youth, time reveals detail, nuance, and complexity that were unforeseen when the wine was young—but it’s exceptionally rare to find bottles with any sort of age on them in the market, especially from outstanding vintages.

On its release, the 2000 season was considered one of the greatest in Piedmontese history. Wine Spectator called the year “flawless” while awarding it 100 points, and said that “perfect vintages don't come around very often. This is one that you won't want to miss.” Now, 20 years later, those outstanding wines are entering their prime, perfect for drinking today.

Two decades have brought Monti’s 2000 Barolo Bussia a glorious maturity without the price tag that usually accompanies it. From one of Barolo’s Grand Cru vineyards, the winery could easily charge the $115+ release price for this wine—and there would still be more demand than supply. 

But a magical right-place-at-the-right-time moment put us in a position to negotiate a staggering discount for our members—nearly 70%!—bringing the cost of this bottle down to just $35—a stunning price.

This is the sort of score that justifies the hundreds of hours and thousands of miles we travel every year—a winery-direct library offering that’s in a glorious stage of maturity right now, but will continue maturing for another decade in a cool cellar, waiting for special occasions.

As soon as you smell the wine, you realize it’s an occasion unto itself. It has an aroma that can only come from well-aged Nebbiolo, full of dried cherries, black truffles, hints of moist forest floor, and dried roses—all practically daring you to stop smelling. When you finally move on and take a sip, there’s an orchestra of flavors, led by bright red plum and roasted porcini mushrooms with hints of Virginia pipe tobacco, dried pine needles, and violets. As you’d hope, there’s a long, nearly weightless finish where the flavor seems to hold on for longer than you could reasonably expect.

Monti’s Barolo is a single-vineyard offering from the Bussia cru, one of the most important vineyards in Monforte d’Alba, a village known for wines of exceptional power and concentration—even by Barolo standards. With time in the bottle, this wine still has classic Monforte intensity, but the tannins have softened into velvet, making it a delight at the table.

It goes without saying that 20-year-old Barolos from great vintages doesn’t grow on trees. We pried as much as we could away from the winery, but there’s still not a lot to go around. Act accordingly.