Pio Cesare Barolo DOCG

A classic style Barolo. Excellent structure, harmony and elegance. Soft tannins and balanced fruit. Approachable, but with a very long ageing potential.

2018

Wine Advocate 93: The 2018 Barolo opens to ripe aromas of dried plum and tobacco. This vintage lacks some of the complexity of a cooler growing season, but these results are far from monochromatic. Those tobacco aromas cede to cedar, earth, forest floor and hints of shaved truffle.

James Suckling 94: Aromas of spicy red cherries on a loamy underlay, together with savory twists of forest floor and walnut shell. Some orange rind, too. Full-bodied with very fine, firm and silky tannins and lots of long, focused fruit and spice flavor. Good structure for 2018. Needs a year or two to fully knit together. Best from 2024.

2019

Wine Advocate 95: Pio Cesare does a great job with its classic 2019 Barolo (in production since 1881). The bottom of the front label reads "Barolo Pio" in memory of the legendary Pio Boffa. He was a wine entrepreneur who gained the immediate respect and love of all those who knew him. He passed away tragically during the COVID-19 pandemic just as the vaccines were being rolled out. This is a large production of about 70,000 bottles with fruit sourced from across seven vineyards in five villages. Despite those ambitious numbers, the wine remains strictly focused on bright Nebbiolo fruit with red cassis and aniseed. The finish is smooth with tannins that elegantly dissolve over the palate.

James Suckling 94: Lovely perfumes of flowers, fresh strawberries and raspberries follow through to a medium- to full-bodied palate with fine tannins that run the length of the wine. Citrus and spice undertones. Finishes long and intense. Tannic finish.