Wine Advisor
Pio Cesare, Barolo Ornato 2000
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2000 Barolo Ornato bursts onto the palate with sweet spices, leather, licorice, dark fruit and French oak. This modern Barolo has aged exquisitely, and while I don’t expect it will last decades, it will continue to offer highly rewarding drinking for the next decade or so. If anything, it still has some tannin to shed. A rich, expansive finish rounds things out in style. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2020. Pio Cesare’s 2000s have matured gracefully, although they appear to have limited upside from here.
Reviewed by: Daniel Thomases
The 2000 Barolo Ornato, from a highly rated vineyard in Serralunga d’Alba is a rich and potent wine, riper than the regular 2000 Barolo and with more definition in its ample nose of roses, caramel, and anise. Warmer, denser, and more solid in flavor, its tongue-coating tannins and packed texture suggest that it will drink well for more than a dozen years to come. Importer: Paterno Imports, Lake Bluff, IL; tel. (847) 604-8900
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
2000 Barolo Ornato—Very dark ruby. The potent Ornato delivers notes of spices, toasted oak and coffee beans on the nose, along with tremendous length and sustain on the palate, with layers of dark ripe fruit and mineral notes that gradually unfold. A very structured, beautiful Barolo that will require patience. Made from the Ornato cru in Serralunga. 92 points/drink after 2010, tasted 05/05 In 2000, this producer’s Barolos and Barbarescos are rich, structured wines that will require some years to integrate fully. I wouldn’t open a bottle until the wines reach age ten, and suspect even that estimate is optimistic. This was my first visit to Pio Cesare’s historic cellars located right in the center of Alba. The estate has been making wines for well over a hundred years. Until recently Pio Cesare was known for commercial wines that were rough, old-fashioned and lacking finesse. All that has changed now. The winemaking style today has been updated and the house aims to combine the best of both traditional and modern schools. Based on how recent vintages have performed, the transformation has been a success. That the estate achieves a very high level of overall quality is especially remarkable given a total production in excess of 350,000 bottles per year, which easily places the house among the largest producers in the area.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
(80% new barriques Saturated medium ruby-garnet. Subtly complex aromas of redcurrant, truffle, tar and underbrush; I never would have guessed the vintage. Silky on entry, then wonderfully intense but supple, with flavors of dark cherry and iron. A huge, seamless wine of great thickness and richness. Incredible slow-building, classy finish really stains the palate. Any coffee and chocolate from the oak is hidden by powerful minerality. Boffa told me this wine boasts 37 grams per liter of dry extract, which is higher than either the '99 or the '01. A knockout.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Bright ruby-red. Subdued but aromatic nose of rose petal, tar, leather and chocolate; cleaner than the classico Youthfully tight and backward, with a penetrating quality and an austere menthol component. Very fresh but currently hiding its opulence and thus difficult to assess. Conveys an impression of strong acids but here the tannins seem riper than those of the basic Barolo. Finishes with a suggestion of exotic fruits.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Fabulous nose of milk chocolate, toffee, red fruits, and berries. Complex and ever changing with a massive finish. This does not want to let go, and when you start to think that it does, it keeps going with notes of mushrooms. Amazing wine.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2000 Barolo Ornato bursts onto the palate with sweet spices, leather, licorice, dark fruit and French oak. This modern Barolo has aged exquisitely, and while I don't expect it will last decades, it will continue to offer highly rewarding drinking for the next decade or so. If anything, it still has some tannin to shed. A rich, expansive finish rounds things out in style.
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.
