Barolo (1985)

About this wine

This Parusso Barolo 1985 is 100 percent Nebbiolo from the Barolo zone, originally vinified with long maceration and aged in small oak barrels according to the producer. In the glass it shows a deep brick red color with garnet rim typical of well aged Nebbiolo. The nose opens to dried red cherry, rose petal, cured leather and tobacco, with secondary hints of forest floor and dried herbs. On the palate the wine is medium to full bodied, the tannins are softened and rounded while a firm acidity keeps the wine lively and focused. Flavors echo the aromatics and add a touch of baking spice and black tea on the finish, with a persistent savory length that reflects extended bottle age. Technical details from the producer note hand harvest, indigenous yeast fermentation and extended maceration, with barrel ageing in small oak for the estate Barolo bottlings.

About the grape

Nebbiolo is the sole grape behind Parusso Barolo and has been cultivated by the Parusso family for generations in the Bussia, Mosconi and Mariondino crus around Monforte d Alba and Castiglione Falletto, where limestone, clay and marly soils on Tortonian and Elvezian formations give the variety both finesse and structure. Nebbiolo is naturally late ripening and tannic, so Parusso manages high density plantings of older vines, hand harvests clusters and practices plot specific care to highlight each vineyard s personality rather than dilute it. In the cellar Marco Parusso often lets fully ripe Nebbiolo grapes rest briefly before fermentation to soften tannins and ferments with indigenous yeasts, then ages wines in small oak with extended contact on their natural lees to build texture while keeping Nebbiolo s bright acidity and aromatic clarity.

Quick facts

• 🎉 The 1985 Parusso Barolo comes from the very year Marco Parusso began bottling the family wine, making it one of the estate's earliest labelled Barolos.
• 🌍 Parusso sources Nebbiolo from the famed Bussia area near Monforte d Alba, so this vintage carries the specific soil signature of that single zone.
• 🧪 Parusso often lets fermentation start with indigenous yeasts and ages wines in small oak followed by bottle maturation, so a 1985 can show complex autolytic and savory layers few modern Barolos do.
• 🏺 The winery is known for bold, tannic Barolo that also drinks with freshness, so a 1985 bottle is a collectible example of a style that was intended to be both long lived and enjoyable earlier than expected.
• 📦 Parusso has historically produced very large bottle formats up to multi liter sizes, so surviving 1985 bottles are occasionally found in magnum or larger formats which change how the wine ages.

Palate profile

Producer

Parusso is a family-owned winery in Italy's Barolo region, established in 1901 when Gaspare Parusso purchased the Mariondino vineyard. In 1925, the family acquired the Rovella farmhouse in Bussia, which now houses their cellars. The first wines under the Parusso label were released in 1971. Today, the estate spans 28 hectares across Monforte d'Alba and Castiglione Falletto, producing approximately 150,000 bottles annually. The winery is renowned for its innovative techniques, such as allowing harvested grapes to rest before fermentation to enhance tannin softness and complexity.