Tommaso Bussola - Amarone della Valpolicella Classico 2019

The story of the Tommaso Bussola winery began when Tommaso started working at the small estate of his uncle, Giuseppe Bussola. In the early years Tommaso followed in the footsteps of his uncle, making traditional wines in the classic style – which came to be labelled “BG” the initials of his uncle Giuseppe Bussola.  His first vinification was in 1983 and in each successive vintage he sought to constantly improve the quality of the wine. 

Ten years later, in 1993, in order to keep upping their qualitative game, they completed the construction of their new wine cellar, where stylistically, you can see many throwbacks to Tommaso’s previous career as a stonemason. Along with the new cellar came the introduction of some new barriques which would be used for the new top crus of the new line of TB wines and the single vineyard Vigneto Alto. Soon after, in 1995, Tommaso’s wife, Daniela joined in the adventure, focusing on the office and export markets. Years later in 2006, Tommaso’s son, Paolo, started working full time at the winery and soon began to take over the work in the cellar and become the winemaker as well as also following the work in the vineyard. Tommaso’s younger son, Giuseppe, followed suit in 2008 though Giuseppe works alongside his mother Daniela following the commercial side of the business and exports. Tommaso helps with everything but at this point, his primary focus is on the vineyards.

Throughout the winery’s history, even when Tommaso’s uncle owned the estate, they have always worked the vineyards without the use of chemicals or pesticides – only copper and sulfur. Paolo has been steadily making changes in the vineyard with attention towards the physiology of the plant and has begun following the lunar calendar to better time many of the winery's activities, from pruning to thinning as well as work in the cellar. The vineyard has been certified as sustainable by Siquria, the main organization for sustainable agriculture in Italy. 

The Bussolas use predominantly French oak barrels for aging, about 90%. Through practice they’ve found that their preferred sources are Tronçais, Allier and Jupille. The remaining 10% is a mix of Slavonian oak and American oak. Whatever the origin, they insist of a minimum of three years of drying with medium level toast levels which they feel marries best with their wines without overwhelming them with oaky character. For their classic (White Label) wines, they only use second passage oak and botti grandi in order to protect the purity and vivacity of the fruit.

65% Corvina and Corvinone, 30% Rondinella, 5% Other varieties. Sourced from vineyards ranging from 260m-300m in elevation. Sourced from vines ranging in age from 20 to 60 years old. The grapes are crushed in October and ferment in stainless steel tanks with frequent pumpings over. Following this the wine is racked off the coarse lees. It remains in tank until bottling. The dried grapes are first crushed in January, and continue macerating and fermenting anywhere from 55/60 days up to 80 days, depending on the year.

The Amarones and Reciotos, after being racked, are separated from the coarse lees after 15 days. They are then put into tonneaux and barriques of oak from various provenances. Here the fermentation proceeds slowly for 24 months or longer. It may even continue as long as 30 months, always on the fine lees. Batonnage is carried out when necessary until the moment of bottling. In total the Amarone Classico remains about 40-42 months in second passagge oak - 80% barriques and 20% 12-25 HL botte grandi.

“An evolved wine full of earth, dried prunes, bay leaves and coffee grounds on the nose. Smooth and round on the palate, with a full body, a touch of sweetness, and ripe, velvety tannins balanced by long, refreshing acidity and a very savory overall profile.” - 95 Points, James Suckling

Producer: Tommaso Bussola

Country: Italy

Region: Veneto

Varietal: Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Molinara

Appellation: Amarone della Valpolicella Classico

Vintage: 2019

Size: 750ml