Questo vino
Vineyard and terroir
The vineyards lie at 280 to 450 m above sea level, facing southeast and southwest. The vines are 10 to 50 years old.
Vinification
The grapes are harvested in mid-September and dried in small plastic crates until mid-January. They are then carefully selected and pressed in special fermenters. After about 15 days of maceration, fermentation starts with selected yeasts. It proceeds slowly at a controlled temperature, with frequent pumping over and punch-downs. After 50 days the must is moved to a stainless steel tank to settle the heavier lees. About 20 days later it is transferred to wooden vessels, where fermentation is completed.
Ageing
The wine is aged for 48 months: 55% in second-fill 500-litre barrels, 30% in second-fill 225-litre barriques and 15% in large 25 hl casks. After bottling it rests about 6 more months in the winery's cellars.
Label / history
Tommaso Bussola did not come from a winemaking family and trained as a mason, but he had learned the work helping his uncle, the winemaker Giuseppe Bussola, in the vineyards. He carried out his first vinification in 1983. At first he followed local traditions and methods and oversaw every stage himself; later he introduced green pruning with close attention to berry selection and experimented with ageing in new oak barrels. From the end of 1980, when his uncle retired, he took full control of the estate, inheriting old vineyards in some of the region's best locations.
These vineyards hold old local clones: 20% Rondinella, 25% Corvina Grossa and 40% Corvinone, naturally low-yielding varieties that cover a significant part of the estate. They also contain old vines of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Dindarella and Pindara, and more recently Teroldego has been planted. Tommaso's favourite is the demanding and relatively rare Corvinone, which he believes gives his wines depth, power, richness, body and an unusually expressive aroma; he calls it "Super Corvina".
The newer wines, made with the latest technology, carry the "TB" label, short for "Tommaso Bussola". They are marked by vivid aromas and exceptional fruit, and the finest are aged in new oak while remaining dominated by generous, powerful, juicy, lush fruit. The standard range carries the "BG" logo, for Bussola Giuseppe, after his uncle. These wines follow the traditional Valpolicella style, made under traditional rules and aged in old barrels.
