Pio Cesare Barolo DOCG

Description

Pio Cesare Barolo is a Piemontese red wine produced at this historic family-owned estate. As an fan of Barolo will know, Barolo is made with 100% Nebbiolo grapes. In the 1950s Pio Cesare was one of the first producers to export Barolo to the UK and thereby developing the wine’s reputation overseas. Today, the founder’s great grandson, Pio Boffa, continues the family tradition producing Piemontese wines in a style that manages to balance the best of the old with the best of the new.

Pio Cesare is named after its founder Cesare Pio, who established the business in 1881. It is based in Alba in the heart of the Piemonte region, nestled between the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea. The surrounding hills provide a handful of ideal exposures for grape growing with unique micro-climates. The confluence of cold Alpine air with warm maritime moisture regularly creates a misty glow, or “nebbia”, over these foothills, hence the name of Nebbiolo for the , the great red variety of the region. Pio Cesare own 70 hectares of vineyards in the hills of Barolo and Barbaresco, including some of the prime sites for growing Nebbiolo: 16 hectares of the ‘Ornato’ vineyard in Barolo and 18 hectares of ‘Il Bricco’ in Barbaresco.

The grapes for ‘Classic’ Pio Cesare Barolo DOCG are grown in four vineyards belonging to the Pio Cesare family in four of the Barolo communes; Serralunga d’Alba (Ornato), La Morra (Roncaglie), Grinzane Cavour (Gustava) and Barolo-Novello (Ravera). A portion of the grapes come from other exclusive vineyards owned by growers, who have been providing grapes to the Pio Cesare family for generations. Grapes are hand-picked, gently pressed and fermented at 25° to 26°C. Vinification takes place in stainless steel tanks, with skin contact for 20-25 days. The wine is then aged in mid-toasted French oak for three years with 70% in 20-50 hectolitre casks and 30% in barriques.