You may know how special 2016 was in Piedmont, but the Colla family name is still flying under the radar. Antonio Galloni's La Festa del Barolo shined a spotlight on Poderi Colla's legendary Bussia bottling, and my chance to taste the 2013 was a "wow" moment. Since then, the wines from Colla have become more refined and transparent. While Monforte d'Alba has some of the most structured and authoritative Barolos in the region, its famed Bussia cru is revered for an atypical finesse.

The style at Colla relays this as I've never quite seen it before - There's a combo of featherweight power and sappiness, the perfume meeting notes of licorice, mint, orange peel, and dried cherry, and a seamless mineral finish. Traditional Barolo, no matter how in vogue, often requires hearty food when young, but there's a lift and transparency to Colla's Bussia that make this so appealing today despite the banner year's structure, which denotes a long life ahead—think Bartolo Mascarello via Monforte d'Alba.

Beppe Colla was the first to label Monforte's Bussia cru on bottles in 1961. The Colla family owned the famous Prunotto estate for decades, and in 1994, they sold and started their eponymous winery. The first initiative was to buy the storied Dardi parcel within Bussia, a section of vines planted in 1970.

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