While the name Cesare Bussolo may be new to you, his work won't be. Cesare has spent most of his winemaking life as the right-hand man to Roberto Voerzio, whose wines are among the most sought-after in Barolo. In 2009, Cesare purchased his first vineyards in La Morra, and over time, added generous leases—including plots once under Voerzio's own care. He brings the same rigor to his own work: organic farming, high-density planting, multiple green harvests, and precision in the cellar. The result? Wines that echo Voerzio's in their seamless balance of power and grace while carrying Cesare's understated signature.

Santa Lucia is the west-facing vineyard Cesare bought in 2009, then a stand of old barbera vines. He replanted it in 2010, still to barbera but at far higher density, and it remains the site of his first estate wine.

The wine ferments in stainless steel, then ages 12 months in oak barrels, only 12% of them new. The 2023 growing season — warm but tempered by a long, cool stretch into October — yielded a wine built on freshness and radiant red fruit. Even young, it shows sour cherry, damson plum, red currant, worn leather, and brewed Assam tea, the fruit turning brighter on the palate and framed by fine tannin and vivid acidity. Lovely now, with room to deepen in the cellar over the next several years.