Pio Cesare Il Bricco Barbaresco DOCG

Big, powerful structure, rich with ripe fruit. Soft and spicy. Sweet and ripe tannins. Long ageing potential. Very few bottles produced every year.

Wine Advocate 94: The Pio Cesare 2016 Barbaresco Il Bricco is a beautifully lightweight and lithe expression, with an enormously silky and subtle mouthfeel. Barbaresco is always a bit more open and accessible compared to Barolo, but this particular release of 7,000 bottles has benefited from an extra year in the bottle and has gained even more definition and traction in terms of mouthfeel as result. This wine speaks in long, slow and well-enunciated tones. Indeed, it whispers into your heart.

James Suckling 97: A soft, fruity red with strawberry and smoke undertones, as well as spices. Full-bodied. Chewy, round and racy at the end. Very structured and linear. Give it time to open. Better after 2022 and onwards.

Wine Advocate 93: With fruit from the village of Treiso, the Pio Cesare 2017 Barbaresco Il Bricco shows a delicate and fine embroidery of small berry fruit, wild blueberry, blue flower, smoky ash and licorice. There is a tarry note in this vintage that is spurred on, I am sure, by the heat and drought of the summer season. Despite that extreme weather, the wine is gracefully contained and never too ripe or heavy.

James Suckling 97: Dried strawberries, ash, tar and dried flowers, such as roses, on the nose. Full-bodied and very tannic with powerful tannins and a savory finish. It’s spicy and intense at the end. A very structured red. Imposing tannins. Drink in 2024.

Falstaff 95: Bright ruby with a pronounced garnet shimmer. Finely chiseled nose with notes of rhubarb, blood orange and goji berries, some roses. Gripping, demanding tannin on the palate, substantial and salty, spreads out richly across the palate, firm pressure on the finish, warm and round.

Wine Advocate 94: The 2018 Barbaresco Il Bricco shows ample depth and intensity with dark fruit, smoke, toasted spice and cured tobacco. This is a production of 6,393 numbered bottles. This vintage shows a mid-weight approach with rich fruit weight and polished tannins.

James Suckling 95: This is a very solid red for the vintage, with a medium to full body and extremely refined and focused tannins that run the length of the wine. Bitter-lemon, strawberry and spice flavors. Compact and long. Give it at least two or three years. Try after 2025.

Wine Advocate 94+: Fruit for this wine comes from the Bricco di Treiso MGA and immediately shows more softness and textural definition. The 2019 Barbaresco Il Bricco is layered and rich with black fruit, spice, tar and a sweet hint of cinnamon. Il Bricco offers more overall power and structure for longer cellar aging. Pairing possibilities include wintery foods. Production is exactly 7,186 bottles, with larger formats as well.

James Suckling 97: A solid and powerful Barbaresco with fantastic depth of fruit and layers of tannins. Full and so deep and focused, with great length and structure. Bark, berry, mineral and deep terroir and gravitas. Try after 2027.

Wine Spectator 94: Fruit for this wine comes from the Bricco di Treiso MGA and immediately shows more softness and textural definition. The 2019 Barbaresco Il Bricco is layered and rich with black fruit, spice, tar and a sweet hint of cinnamon. Il Bricco offers more overall power and structure for longer cellar aging. Pairing possibilities include wintery foods. Production is exactly 7,186 bottles, with larger formats as well.

Wine Advocate 94: This wine celebrates its 30th anniversary (1990–2020). With fruit from 40-year-old vines, the Pio Cesare 2020 Barbaresco Il Bricco is a production of 6,930 bottles plus magnums. This vintage reveals elegant aromas and nicely concentrated fruit that is embroidered with spice, dark plum and hints of nutmeg. Fruit from both sides of the Il Bricco vineyard are used. The vineyard tops out at 410 meters above sea level, and this land was purchased in 1972.

James Suckling 97: Exquisite aromas of strawberries, cherries, hibiscus and cranberries. Hints of cedar and sandalwood. Medium body, with very fine tannins that run the length of the wine and have melted into the wine beautiful. Give this four or six years to completely open.

Vinous 90: The 2020 Barbaresco II Bricco is laced with the essence of crushed red berry fruit, cinnamon, rose petal and mint. A pretty wine, the II Bricco offers good depth to match its approachable style. Soft, silky tannins wrap it all together nicely. Best of all, the 2020 will drink well right out of the gate.

Decanter 94: With woody scents of black and blue berries, and just a hint of cocoa, Il Bricco in 2020 is supremely fresh and focused, with a core of fleshy dark fruits, a waft of balsamic herbs and a streak of bright cherry. Fine, grippy structure leads to a long and fresh finish with some subtle ferrous and blood orange notes. Poised and effortless.