You know the world has become a strange place when an importer won’t sell you a case of Chardonnay unless you also purchase the same winery’s 100-point scoring Barolo! But that was the case this past week as I tried to pry loose some of Aldo Conterno’s ‘gold of Bussia’ Chardonnay from their longtime American agent. While everyone knows and covets the Conteros’ fabulous Barolos (the 2020 Bussia is really smashing good!), only the geekiest of the geekiest know about the Chard- one of the rarest and most unique examples of the variety you will find anywhere in the world! Aldo himself planted the vines back in the 1970s, way before Chardonnay was even a thing in Piemonte, and has always made it like the Burgundies Aldo loved so much- fermented and aged in small wood, extended lees contact, malo-lactic fermentation: the works! Originally named Bussia d’Or- the Gold of Bussia- it was contracted to Bussiador after it became against the rules to use the name Bussia on any non-Barolo from the vineyard. The name notwithstanding, the results are totally unique; a large-boned, distinctly nutty, lavishly rich, exotic wine with gorgeous shimmery golden fruit and an extraordinarily long finish. Its natural Monforte d’Alba acidity keeps it fresh and lively and, not surprisingly, a great candidate to cellar too. Think of it as a Puligny-Montrachet on steroids…. I first discovered the wine over 25 years ago when a chance bottle opened a dinner in Barolo led to a weeklong pilgrimage to every wine store and restaurant list in the area to forage every bottle we could find in order to do a whacky vertical tasting of six vintages at a final event. There was bottle- from the late 1990s, if I remember correctly- that had obviously been stored poorly with a ragged, sunstruck label and a sketchy cork that drank so shockingly well it took the breath out of the room! We’ve been getting it every chance ever since but, given its tiny production, cult-like following and propensity for the importer to hoard it, that’s not very often! This year I’ve sold my soul to get 36 bottles from the perfect 2021 vintage- one of the best ever in the region making this wine a particular standout. You gotta try some! Wine arrives in late October but don’t wait because this will go quickly!