Tasting Notes

“The Barbera grapes grown in the Barolo area, give full structure, plummy and complex flavour, with spicy and ripe fruit, blackberry aroma and a hint of toasted tobacco. It ages quite well.”

Vineyards

Family-owned vineyards in Serraluga d’Alba (Ornato and Colombaro), in Sinio, Diano d’Alba and Grinzane Cavour together with other vineyards belonging to “historical suppliers” who have been selling their grapes to PIO CESARE for generations, working their vineyards according to our directions and strict quality controls.

Vinification

15 days of skin contact in stainless steel temperature-controlled fermenters.

Aging

18 months in French oak. 30% in mid toasted barriques and 70% in 20 to 50 hectoliters casks.

92 Points Wine Spectator & Smart Values – “This is bright and focused, exuding blackberry, black cherry and violet flavors. Balanced and firm on the long, fruit- and earth-tinged aftertaste. Drink now through 2025. 6,000 cases made, 3,204 cases imported”

#38 Wine of the Year 2021 Wine Spectator – Pio Cesare marked its 140th anniversary this year. The milestone was bittersweet; the venerable Piedmont winery lost its patriarch, Pio Boffa, to COVID-19 in April. The Barolos and Barbarescos receive most of the attention here, but there are two excellent Barberas. The classic Barbera comes from 10 different vineyards in the Barolo and Barbaresco appellations, including young vines from Mosconi since the 2017 harvest. It ages primarily in large Slavonian oak casks, with 10% to 15% in second-passage oak barriques. It’s a great value, almost half the price of the single-vineyard Barbera d’Alba Fides Vigna Mosconi. 6,000 cases made, 3,204 cases imported.

90 Points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate – “The Pio Cesare 2019 Barbera d’Alba delivers nice richness and concentration, with fresh blueberry, black cherry and plum. I love that the Barbera grape can bring about all that black fruit intensity without feeling too heavy or concentrated. Indeed, this wine is remembered for its freshness above all else and its food-friendly versatility.”