2013 Barolo Cicala

The 2013 Barolo Bussia Cicala is a beautiful wine with impressive depth and a profound sense of sharpness. This part of the Bussia cru sees a mix of clay soils (40%) with limestone (60%). In a sense, Cicala is the most indicative of the greater Bussia cru both in terms of its geological properties and its general taste profile. You get a lot of fruit in this wine followed by tannic firmness and evident power. Together, the wine presents balanced results. The alcohol here is 14.5% and I'm told that the upcoming 2016 vintage is almost a full degree stronger.

Monforte d’Alba. Cicala is next to Colonnello, but on a steeper slope. The site has very poor soil and the roots need to go very deep. More clay and iron, creating ‘a darker expression of the fruit’. The wine spends five weeks on the skins and is aged for 29 months in 25-hl Slavonian oak barrels. Lustrous ruby with bright, narrow orange rim. Beautiful deep, dark and brooding nose with hints of dark spice. The palate is a perfect triangle of fruit, tannins and acidity. Youthful and obviously needs much more age, but already quite beautiful with mouth-filling perfume. (WS)

The 2013 Barolo Bussia Cicala is a beautiful wine with impressive depth and a profound sense of sharpness. This part of the Bussia cru sees a mix of clay soils (40%) with limestone (60%). In a sense, Cicala is the most indicative of the greater Bussia cru both in terms of its geological properties and its general taste profile. You get a lot of fruit in this wine followed by tannic firmness and evident power. Together, the wine presents balanced results. The alcohol here is 14.5% and I'm told that the upcoming 2016 vintage is almost a full degree stronger. Jun 2017, www.robertparker.com