Among insiders, the Cascina Dardi Bussia Barolo Riservas of brothers Alessandro and Gian Natale Fantino are prized as masterful expressions of Langhe traditionalism.
 
Not only is the terroir special—the Dardi sub-cru of Bussia—but Alessandro was taught by none other than Bartolo Mascarello. That is the perfect recipe for great traditional Barolo, especially in a year like 2013, which produced so many great Old School Barolos.
 
In this classic vintage, Alessandro and Gian Natale captured Dardi’s seamless marriage of power and delicacy with beautiful purity. A small selection of the best fruit from vines planted in 1947, the 2013 Cascina Dardi Bussia Riserva is one of the vintage’s top traditional Barolos.
 
And at $59.95 a bottle you should be putting it in your cellar now.
 
A Storied Terroir
Like other great Barolos, Cascina Dardi Bussia Riserva begins with old vines in an exceptional site. Bussia is one of Barolo’s most storied crus, described by Alessandro Masnaghetti as “one of the true super-stars of the entire appellation, capable of stimulating the dreams and desires of wine lovers all over the world.”
 
But Bussia is large. In fact, it’s so large that Masnaghetti breaks it up into 11 separate sub-crus. Though historically Dardi was considered part of Bussia Soprana, Alessandro distinguishes it, praising its “classic” mineral Barolo character, derived from a southern exposure, 350-meter elevation and complex Sant Agatha limestone-clay marl and sand soils.
 
And there is historic precedent for Masnaghetti’s view of Dardi, as a particularly fine section of Bussia. It was the prime source of the magnificent Prunotto Bussias made by the legendary Beppe Colla from the 1960s to 1980s.
 
If anyone knew Barolo’s terroirs it was Colla, a pioneer of cru Barolo from his first Prunotto Bussia Barolo in 1961. And it speaks volumes that he acquired vines in this same magical site as the keystone for his own Poderi Colla estate after leaving Prunotto in 1994.
 
Ancient Vines, Classic Methods
But Beppe wasn’t the only one who saw Dardi as an elite Barolo terroir; the Fantino family knew this in the late 1940s, when they planted the vines that produce today’s Cascina Dardi Bussia Riserva.
 
The winemaking is heavily influenced by Alessandro’s past experience with Bartolo Mascarello. Even though traditionalism was out of favor at the time, Alessandro was quoted in 1991 by Sheldon Wasserman as saying “he learned more working with Bartolo in a few months than he did during the entire time he spent at the enology school in Alba from which he graduated.”
 
The Fantino’s continue to be dedicated traditionalists. They gave the 2013 Riserva bottling more than a month of fermentation and maceration with the indigenous yeasts before racking into neutral Slavonian oak botti grande for 4+ years. And the results are in the bottle, with a 95-point rating from The Wine Advocate’s Monica Larner.

With only 500 cases produced, and a stunningly low price given its quality and pedigree, the 2013 Cascina Dardi Bussia Riserva is a must-purchase in this important vintage.