“I want to give everything, I only live once and I want to give everything I have!” - Parusso

Buckle up, we’ve been on a Barolo roll, and here comes a dizzying ride!

“This is a gorgeous wine, not to mention a huge overachiever in its peer group.” - Galloni

Not just one, but 2 from none other than the venerable Parusso, one ‘Normale’ for weeknights - though there is ZERO normality with this wine - and one ultra-rare ‘Cru’ down in the Store for special occasions.

“Extremely complex and intense aromas…” - Suckling

Wine Spectator spotlighted Parusso recently as “A Barolo Iconoclast: Marco Parusso’s experiments push the envelope of Piedmont winemaking” raving that *“In the 3 decades since he took over his family’s small, obscure estate in Monforte d’Alba, Parusso has built it into a noteworthy producer whose laurels include 66 wines that have scored 90 points or higher in blind tastings. ‘Marco is a person who is never quiet. He is like a volcano,’ says Giacomo Conterno, the young winemaker at Aldo Conterno, Parusso’s neighbor.”

The article adds: “It would take volumes to describe all of Parusso’s practices, ranging from traditional to New Age. But among Barolo producers, he is admired as the kind of bold seeker who might influence how wines are made in the future… ‘Marco’s techniques are very unusual but smart,’ says Conterno. ‘In this moment, many Barolo producers are saying that the tannic structure and aromas of Nebbiolo could be more complex. And people are looking more and more to the experiments of people like Marco.’”

Parusso is NUTS in a good way, just like the price we were able to bring this down to.

Here is how Parusso differs wildly from all others:

• He’s alone in Barolo using the Ancient Rome technique to “relax” the harvest in a ventilated room at ambient temperature for days prior to fermentation to soften tannins.
• He uses a Burgundian whole bunch ferment with wild yeasts.
• Macerations take up to 50 days.
• He adds a generous helping of a mud of sedimentary lees back to the wine in new barrels.
• Lees, or ‘Mamma’ as he calls it for its antioxidant powers, he never racks off and stirs for years!
• Uses new oak twice, that’s 200% new oak, go figure - his wines never show overt oak influence.

And what’s in the glass within the delicately pale deep garnet liquid with crimson highlights? A nose that Bacchus would die for, with a potpourri covering fresh red fruits, as well as dried black, blue, and purple ones, summer blooms, and a bazaar of magical spices and herbs. Still, the true wizardry beings once the wine is sipped, with texture that touches the otherworldly realm, gloriously rich, deep, and complex, at the same time ethereally light and delicate with nuances that continue unfolding all the way through the minute plus mark with a finish that wants to last an eternity. If there is a wine heaven, this belongs there on a table with an over-the-top feast featuring wild game, mushrooms, handmade pasta, and more.

Wow, just wow… With feet back on the ground we claimed our share and IMPLORE you to do the same, secure much as you can of this sweet, sweet deal.

95 Points – James Suckling

“Extremely complex and intense aromas of sliced meat, flowers and ripe fruit, but perfumed at the same time. Full-bodied, very chewy and powerful with a long and flavorful finish. Needs four or five years to soften. Try in 2023.”

93 Points – Antonio Galloni’s Vinous

“Marco Parusso’s 2015 Barolos are brilliant. Parusso continues to make deeply personal Barolos that are among the most intriguing wines in the region. Parusso tends to harvest on the late side. He gives fruit 3-4 days of rest prior to being crushed, which, he believes allows the grapes to recover after being harvested while also further ripening the stems. The wines are fermented with 100% whole clusters and see 100% new oak, with the exception of the straight Barolo, which gets around 50% new wood. Parusso’s 2015 Barolo is gorgeous. Dark, ample and enveloping, the 2015 possesses tremendous textural richness and depth. Even so, the 2015 is wonderfully open-knit and nuanced. Silky tannins and plush fruit adds to the wine’s considerable appeal. This is a gorgeous wine, not to mention a huge overachiever in its peer group. Drink 2020-2035.”

93 Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

“The 2015 Barolo is a nicely balanced and fresh offering from Parusso, with sensations of dark plum and ripe fruit. This wine, aged for 18 months in barrique, always seem to distinguish itself in every vintage by the ripe fruit or grape-skin aromas that come with very apparent tannins and even a bit of sourness. There is some exotic spice on the close of the 2015. I like this type of Barolo with veal in a tomato sauce. Drink 2020-2038.”