Wine Advisor
Pio Cesare, Barolo 2016
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Monica Larner
Traditionalists happily fall back to this wine from Pio Cesare. This historic winery, now in its fifth generation and located within the city limits of Alba, takes care to shape a classic interpretation without too many extra bells or whistles. The fact that Pio Cesare now has the flashier Barolo Ornato and the newly created Barolo Mosconi, only gives more importance to this wine. The Pio Cesare 2016 Barolo offers deep, dark fruit with a mingling of spice, smoke, tar and smoke. This wine represents a blend of fruit from five comuni, or villages: Cascina Ornato, La Serra and Briccolina in Serralunga d'Alba; Gustava and Garretti in Grinzane Cavour; Roncaglie in La Morra; Ravera in Novello; and starting with the 2015 vintage, Mosconi in Monforte d’Alba. An ample 60,000 bottles were produced.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Pretty sweetness and ripeness to this with cherries, dried strawberries and chocolate. It’s full-bodied with round, firm tannins. Very long and intense. A little tight now. Complex and subtle at this stage. Give it two or three years to come around. Try after 2022.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2016 Barolo is a terrific example of the year. Bright acids and veins of supporting tannins give the 2016 its super-classic feel. Sweet red cherry fruit, chalk, mint, dried flowers, cedar, anise and sweet pipe tobacco all grace this translucent, mid-weight Barolo. Best of all, the 2016 can be enjoyed with just a few more years in bottle. It is a gorgeous wine and a good relative value within Barolo.
About the Producer
Located in the Piedmont region of Italy, Pio is one of the oldest wineries in the region and was named one of Wine Spectator's "10 Best Wineries in the World" in 2002. Pio was founded in 1881 by the current owner's great-great-grandfather, Cesare Pio. He was one of the first winemakers and one of the first to adhere to a philosophy of winemaking dedicated to the terroir of the appellation and to the strict demands of quality. Since its foundation, Château Pio has been guided by a commitment to quality that has remained unchanged through four generations. The winery is currently headed by Boffa Pio, a descendant of the family. Today, Pio has over 50 hectares of vineyards in the best areas of Barolo and Barbaresco. In addition to its own vineyards, Bodegas Pio has established long-term partnerships with professional vintners who are responsible for all aspects of the vineyard's viticultural management. In terms of winemaking, Château Piau, under the leadership of its current owner, Boffa Piau, has pioneered the use of stainless steel tanks for the production of its wines. In addition, the winery reduces the amount of time the grapes are macerated on their skins, thus reducing the tannin content of the wine. What's more, the winery's hygiene standards are strictly controlled, resulting in wines that are very pure. Château Piau has a systematic approach to limiting the production of its wines in order to maintain a consistently high quality. 70% of its production is exported. In recent years, the winery has made several major investments in rebuilding the cellars and renovating the winery's equipment: the Roman Empire-era walls remain in place 12 metres underground; new fermenters have been built to take advantage of gravity and a new barrel ageing room has been installed; and new bottling and labelling equipment has been installed.
