Pio Cesare Barolo DOCG

The family-owned vineyards in Serralunga d’Alba (Ornato, La Serra and Briccolina), Grinzane Cavour (Gustava and Garretti), La Morra (Roncaglie), Novello (Ravera) and, since the 2015 vintage, the recently acquired vineyard in Monforte (Mosconi). This wine has been always and traditionally produced by Pio Cesare Family with grapes coming from different regions. This is the classic “formula” used by the ancient Barolo Families to produce a wine which embraces and combines each of the unique characteristics of the different vineyards and terroirs of the Barolo area.

Winemaker notes

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

2013

Wine Advocate 95: The Pio Cesare 2013 Barolo offers all of the plentiful qualities that make this such a memorable vintage. Because the growing season was slightly cooler compared to the two years preceding it, 2013 offers a great sense of freshness and brightness. Fruit was sourced from seven different vineyard sites (with much of it coming from Serralunga d'Alba). Starting in 2015, Monforte d'Alba fruit will be added. The tannins are tightly integrated within the firm fabric of the wine. Yet, the finish is round and supple. This Barolo offers characteristic aromas of wild berry, black truffle and cola. It is executed in a very traditional style with botte grande and a tiny part barrique to give the wine a tad more oxygen during its integration and aging process.

James Suckling 95: The aromas to this are really impressive with crushed berries, dried flowers, walnuts and roses. Metamorphoses all the time. Full to medium body, characterized by a fantastic mouthfeel of ripe and round tannins that are always polished and beautiful. Magnificent harmony and purity. Drink or hold.

Vinous 90: The 2013 Barolo is a very pretty wine from proprietor Pio Boffa. As always, the blend of sites Pio Cesare favors yields a distinctive Barolo with quite a bit of complexity. Medium in body and intensely aromatic, the 2013 can be enjoyed with minimal cellaring. The orange peel, exotic spice, kirsch and mint notes all give the wine plenty of allure, while the tannins are quite soft for a young Barolo. All the elements are very nicely balanced. Pio Cesare's Barolo is a wine that does not seem to get much attention, but it is consistently delicious, fairly priced and relatively easy to find, a combination of virtues that is noteworthy.

Wine Enthusiast 95: This stunning wine opens with classic Nebbiolo aromas of underbrush, new leather, blue flower and dark berry along with a whiff of menthol. The radiant savory palate delivers juicy Marasca cherry, crushed raspberry, clove and star anise framed in noble tannins and bright acidity. It's tempting now but will continue to unwind and develop complexity for years to come. Drink 2023–2043.

2015

Wine Advocate 94: The 2015 Barolo is a beautifully balanced and tight expression of Nebbiolo that hits all the right spots on the palate, from the side of the mouth where you taste the acidity to the back where you get a sense of the wine's structure and integrated tannins. That freshness could pair well with a steak in pepper cream sauce. Long skin maceration times are followed by oak aging, partially in botti with a smaller part in barrique. Some 80,000 bottles were made.

James Suckling 96: Complex aromas of smoke, ash and dark fruit with precision and intensity. Layered and gorgeous. Loads of dark fruit and perfume. Full-bodied with round and wonderfully polished tannins. Wonderful length and richness Goes on for minutes. Try in 2023, but already delicious.

Vinous 91: The 2015 Barolo from Pio Cesare is a very pretty wine that captures all of the intrigue of Nebbiolo, especially in its beguiling, racy aromatics. Medium in body yet full in flavor, the straight Barolo is just terrific in 2015. Despite its mid-weight structure, the 2015 has quite a bit of persistence and energy. It is such a pretty and expressive wine.

Decanter 91: 2015 saw drought conditions in late June and July but there were reserves of water from earlier heavy snow in winter and heavy rain in mid-May. Like the Barbaresco, Pio Cesare prefer to call this its 'classic' Barolo, which certainly suits the old-school style of the wine. Fruit comes from seven vineyards scattered around Barolo, including - for the first time - 10% fruit from the young vines of Mosconi in Monforte d'Alba. The older vines from Mosconi have been used for a new single-vineyard bottling. True to form, this has dusty hedgerow fruit aromas with a touch of new leather. It's lighter, softer and more savoury than the single-vineyard bottlings, but the palate is quite tight, with some good acidity peeking through. Some sweet red fruits appear on the mid-palate, followed by Parma violet lift on the finish. Since the 1960s, the estate has only produced around 5,000 cases of this wine each vintage.

2020

Wine Advocate 94: This wine represents a blend of Nebbiolo from Serralunga d’Alba (Ornato, La Serra and Briccolina), Grinzane Cavour (Gustava and Garretti), La Morra (Roncaglie), Novello (Ravera) and, more recently, Monforte d'Alba (Mosconi). The Pio Cesare 2020 Barolo has an approachable style for sure, with classic Nebbiolo tones of berry fruit, orange peel and licorice. It reveals an integrated and silky personality and tannins that feel very inviting for near and medium-term drinking. This is an ample release of 70,000 bottles.

James Suckling 97: Very primary fruit with beautiful aromas of peaches, strawberries, berries and flowers. It’s medium- to full-bodied, with bitter citrus, cedar, chocolate and coffee bean character. Tight at the end. From five villages, primarily Serralunga, Monforte, La Morra, Grinzane Cavour, and Novello. Needs two or three years to open and will age for a very long time.

Falstaff 94: Medium transparent garnet red with a slightly brightening rim. Fine and elegant aromas of wild berries, sour cherries, some blood orange and light herbal aromas on the nose. Gripping on the palate with aromas of black tea, very vivid tannins and a multi-layered finish.