2015 Armando Parusso Barolo Piedmont Italy 750 ml

Parusso's 2015 Barolo is a dark-hued masterpiece—one of the best Piedmont wines we've tasted this year. Our Master Sommelier Sur Lucero described it as “the best Parusso normale since the ‘04" which is high praise, indeed, given the producer. Marco Parusso is one of Barolo's star winemakers, a relentless innovator and the heir to one of the most stunning vineyard collections in the region.

What is absolutely shocking is the price—this knockout is just $49 per bottle and a mere $39 on cases. We'd happily pay $75+ for a wine of this pedigree, sourced from the vineyards this bottling draws on, so at under $50 this 95-pointer jumped to the top of our 2015 Barolo queue. Sur called it “the best non-cru Barolo I’ve tried this year”—cementing it as an outstanding value pick.

After an hour in a decanter, the wine absolutely blossomed, with a beautiful nose of bold plums and violets mingling with pipe tobacco, and delicate herbs that filled the room before we even poured a glass. The dark-ruby wine was even better on the palate. Still young, it nevertheless was strikingly open, with classic Barolo flavors of black cherries and hints of licorice, a rich meatiness that demanded attention, and a deep savory aspect to go with it. It was the real deal already, which was no surprise given its winemaker.

Barolo is a region where the tension between tradition and innovation is acutely felt—and perhaps no producer strikes a more careful balance between respecting Barolo terroir and taking risks to pursue great wines than Marco Parusso.

His family's estate dates back to 1901, meaning their collection of prime vineyards dates to long before Barolo was one of the darlings of the wine world—and that's paid off with some of the best holdings in Bussia, one of Barolo's grand cru sites, as well as in top vineyards in Castiglione Falletto—two areas known for powerful Barolos with dark, rich fruit. That wealth of top sites means that this Barolo is sourced from vineyards that other wines at this price can’t touch... but that's only part of the equation.

Marco takes those incredible vineyards and farms them with an obsession that few in Italy can match, seeking immaculate grapes for his wines. Antonio Galloni declared that that "Parusso is willing to take more risks in the pursuit of greatness than the vast majority of his colleagues" and that shows up in the multitude of unique decisions he makes, all of which add up to absolutely stunning Barolo.

Once his grapes are perfectly ripe, harvest takes place into small baskets, not large bins—an expensive, laborious step that ensures that the grapes arrive at the winery completely unblemished. Those perfect berries are then carefully macerated without sulfur to allow indigenous yeasts to add extra layers of complexity to the finished wine. Parusso also uses a large percentage of whole clusters in his fermentations to add depth and nuance—a technique common in Burgundy but radical in Barolo—before finishing the wines for at least 18 months in pricey barriques to smooth out the texture.

Normally we'd expect to pay $75+ for Barolo of this pedigree and class. Trust us, you're going to want a case. Drink some now and age the rest over a decade and a half... it’ll just get better.