This beautiful Chardonnay opens to spicy intensity with dried apricot and tropical fruit, all presented with heightened intensity and volume. The Poderi Aldo Conterno 2017 Langhe Chardonnay Bussiador is ripe and round with hints of yellow candy and ripe fruit. These opulent and softly voluptuous fruit flavors wrap smoothly over the palate. The finish is silky and fine with distant hints of crushed stone or mineral. Some 8,000 bottles were made.

The 2015 Langhe Chardonnay Bussiador is a lavish and exuberant white wine that is bursting with sun-ripened aromas of exotic fruit, peach, pineapple and a distant touch of cinnamon. Acidity is never a problem with Chardonnay grown in this part of Northern Italy, even in a hot vintage such as this. In fact, the wine offers lasting freshness. Malolactic fermentations also finish without issues. Some 8,500 bottles were produced. I tasted this wine on the warm side (at room temperature), and despite this fact, the mineral definition and clarity of the wine was impressive. The finish is silky, smooth and soft.

The estate’s 2009 Langhe Chardonnay Bussiador bursts from the glass with layers of rich, tropical fruit, spices, popcorn and butter. The Bussiador is unquestionably a well-made wine, but naturally not in any way representative of Piemonte. Bussiador has a huge following, but frankly I don’t get it. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016. The recent passing of Aldo Conterno after a long bout with illness left a huge void in Piemonte. I still remember the first time I met Conterno. His extraordinary sense of dignity left a lasting impression. Conterno’s three sons have been in charge of the winery for some time, but it is still impossible not to feel the loss of a man who did so much for the image of Piemonte around the world. Importer: Massanois Imports, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 470-6769

Aldo Conterno’s 2008 Langhe Chardonnay Bussiador shows terrific minerality and verve in this vintage, along with less French oak influence. Varietal notes flow effortlessly from this sexy, energetic Chardonnay. I am not sure Chardonnay is ever going to be compelling in Piedmont, but this is just about as good as it gets. Bussiador has a strong, loyal following, but personally I find it hard to get excited about the wine. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016. Importer: Massanois Imports, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 470-6769