2010 Carlo Deltetto Barolo Bussia 750 ml

A “Grand Cru” Barolo From the Highest Scoring Vintage in Piedmont’s History

We needed a break from the Vinitaly hullaballoo this past April, so we went for a drive.

Our detour from Verona sent us to and through some classic cellars in the Piedmont — Vietti, Mascarello, Conterno, Voerzio — and it was great to see some old friends and taste their magnificent 2010s. But the 2010 Barolo that lingered in our memories was from a grower we hadn’t yet visited, Deltetto, off a vineyard we knew quite well, Bussia, one of the most prized sites in Piedmont.

The Deltettos have been tending vineyards in Roero and Langhe since 1953, with the third generation now continuing a proud family legacy. Their Barolos are beautifully contoured, wonderfully floral. But they’ve taken things to another level with this 2010 “Bussia,” one of those 2010s that has caused so many Grand Cru Red Burgundy collectors to adopt Piedmont as their own.

The spring of 2010 was sunny and mild, making for a pristine fruit set. There was quite a bit of rain in June, but once flowering was completed, the temperature turned warm and extremely dry. Throughout the rest of the summer, Piedmont largely enjoyed sunny days and chilly nights. Many attribute that dramatic diurnal temperature shift for the combination of high sugars AND high acids at harvest. In early October, the rain finally fell. On the steep, well-draining limestone hillsides of vigneto Bussia, the moisture rejuvenated the Nebbiolo vines.

The call to harvest came late, in mid-October. Skies were blue. The sun shined brightly on absolutely pristine crops. The only problem with 2010? Yields were down nearly 30% from the norm on the limestone-strewn hillsides above Monforte D’Alba.

As a result of the critical hoopla and the short crop, nearly every bottle of the top-scoring 2010 Barolos was allocated before release — and sold at prices that seemed to ignore the dollar’s dramatic surge against the euro.

We’re proud to be the first in the U.S. to offer this classic Barolo drawn from the famed Bussia Vineyard from the highest-rated vintage ever. Mark our words, you’ll be hearing a lot more about this producer. While its peers will set you back $100, we’ve got the 2010 Deltetto Barolo Bussia at just $59.99 today. Shipping included on 3.