Cesare Bussolo

Santa Lucia Barbera d'Alba

9.120 ratings
9.23 pro ratings
Alba, Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy
Barbera
Duck, Goose, Game, Chili & Hot Spicy, Turkey, Mushrooms, Chicken, Tomato-Based, Pork, Venison, Potato, Pasta, Baking Spices, Beans & Peas, Pungent Cheese, Hard Cheese, White Rice, Exotic Spices, Soft Cheese, Herbs, Veal, Salami & Prosciutto, Onion, Shallot, Garlic
Top Notes For
Sara Thomas

Delicious barbera. Blackberry, mulberry, tart cherry, earth, floral too- lovely balanced acidity. High alcohol but balanced overall

Delicious barbera. Blackberry, mulberry, tart cherry, earth, floral too- lovely balanced acidity. High alcohol but balanced overall

1 person found it helpfulOct 23rd, 2021
Andrew Schirmer

Serious barbera...blackberry/sour cherry on the back end, mossy, herbal, lush palate, velvety. Big, but balanced. Lovely.

Serious barbera...blackberry/sour cherry on the back end, mossy, herbal, lush palate, velvety. Big, but balanced. Lovely.

1 person found it helpfulFeb 4th, 2021
Matthew Cohen

Nose is barbera on steroids. That fresh dark cherry blackberry fruit. Some elegant cough syrup. Assaults the nostrils. Just leaps at you. Complex. As this opens on day 2 nose is insane.

Palate is incredibly dense. Fresh wild Blackberry fruit. Wild young cherries. Intense balancing acidity. Almost tart. Silky tanins. A hint of herbals. Really intense. On day 2 more chocolatey. Dark but fresh blackberries. Delicious.

Long finish.

This will be a 9.4 or 9.5 in 2-3 years. I’d drink with a 2 hour decant now.

Bought from fass selections

Nose is barbera on steroids. That fresh dark cherry blackberry fruit. Some elegant cough syrup. Assaults the nostrils. Just leaps at you. Complex. As this opens on day 2 nose is insane.

Palate is incredibly dense. Fresh wild Blackberry fruit. Wild young cherries. Intense balancing acidity. Almost tart. Silky tanins. A hint of herbals. Really intense. On day 2 more chocolatey. Dark but fresh blackberries. Delicious.

Long finish.

This will be a 9.4 or 9.5 in 2-3 years. I’d drink with a 2 hour decant now.

Bought from fass selections

1 person found it helpfulDec 12th, 2020
Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Sick nose. Red berry fruit. Loads of it. Sense of deepness and richness. Some spice and saline notes as well. Palate is juicy, complex and has terrific freshness and so much minerality. Wow what’s this? A mineral driven Barbera? Yes it is. Great cut and juiciness with some good berry fruit but this has st Joseph like fresh minerals that are just delightful. Terrific depth and structure. Even seems a bit young, as does most very serious Barbera which this is. Long persistent finish of black and red berry fruit and beautiful minerals and substantial tannins. Really really long. after air the nose really gets going. Super complex gamey, earthy and mineral notes. Man it’s like if old school Cornas (mineral style like cuchet/Fauterie) mated with very serious Barbera. As this airs more fruit comes out but it never sheds its mineral core. This is terrific. Great power and depth. This will age for at least 10-13 years. Will be back more as it airs.

Sick nose. Red berry fruit. Loads of it. Sense of deepness and richness. Some spice and saline notes as well. Palate is juicy, complex and has terrific freshness and so much minerality. Wow what’s this? A mineral driven Barbera? Yes it is. Great cut and juiciness with some good berry fruit but this has st Joseph like fresh minerals that are just delightful. Terrific depth and structure. Even seems a bit young, as does most very serious Barbera which this is. Long persistent finish of black and red berry fruit and beautiful minerals and substantial tannins. Really really long. after air the nose really gets going. Super complex gamey, earthy and mineral notes. Man it’s like if old school Cornas (mineral style like cuchet/Fauterie) mated with very serious Barbera. As this airs more fruit comes out but it never sheds its mineral core. This is terrific. Great power and depth. This will age for at least 10-13 years. Will be back more as it airs.

1 person found it helpfulMay 26th, 2020
Fredybeans

Robe noire
Nez sur la prune et olive noire
Bouche ample mais restant fraîche
Finale mûre mais fraîche

Robe noire
Nez sur la prune et olive noire
Bouche ample mais restant fraîche
Finale mûre mais fraîche

1 person found it helpfulMay 16th, 2019
Pooneet K

Beautiful dark berry fruit nose. Palate doesn’t quite carry the same depth or intensity. Hits hard at the front but fades more quickly than expected. Still, nice food pairing wine with the low tannins and medium plus acid. 14.5%.

Beautiful dark berry fruit nose. Palate doesn’t quite carry the same depth or intensity. Hits hard at the front but fades more quickly than expected. Still, nice food pairing wine with the low tannins and medium plus acid. 14.5%.

Nov 19th, 2025
Matthew Cohen

Wow.

Nose: some earth. Dense blackberries

Palate : dense blackberries. Licorice. So juicy and bright. Utterly delicious.

Fass selections

Wow.

Nose: some earth. Dense blackberries

Palate : dense blackberries. Licorice. So juicy and bright. Utterly delicious.

Fass selections

Sep 16th, 2024
Fredybeans

Rubis fonce
Cerise noire mûre frais et juteux sur le fruit
Bouche crémeuse fruit noire kirch fianale sur la cerise noire et un côté vanille
Finale courte mais sur un beau fruit

Rubis fonce
Cerise noire mûre frais et juteux sur le fruit
Bouche crémeuse fruit noire kirch fianale sur la cerise noire et un côté vanille
Finale courte mais sur un beau fruit

Dec 14th, 2018
Weijie Shi (Jay)

Weijie had this 7 years ago

Weijie had this 7 years ago

Aug 6th, 2019
Michael

Michael had this 2 years ago

Michael had this 2 years ago

Sep 16th, 2024