Established in 1881, with their cellars built into the 2000-year-old walls of the town of Alba, Pio Cesare are the ultimate classicists. They are one of Piedmont’s, if not Italy’s, greatest names and consistently produce classical, nuanced and pronounced expressions of Nebbiolo.
The Ornato Cru was the very first single-vineyard Barolo produced by the Pio Family, for the first time in 1985. The soils of the site have a higher content of red sandstone and quartziferous sand, and the elevation is approximately 380m – all of which promotes the development of the wines with firm structure, dense fruit, and incredible age-ability.
Pio Cesare’s Barolo Ornato shows exceptional finesse, while consistently being the most powerful and long lived of the winery’s Barolos. The 2020 is ‘polished’, ‘mineral and smoky’, ‘full of graphite flavour and almost zestiness on the palate, supported by tight-knit tannins.’ (Decanter) The fruit and florals are also on the darker side, with aromas of damson plum, blackberry, red current, rhubarb, liquorice and violets.
Top-notch Barolo wines are increasingly being compared to Premier and Grand Cru red Burgundy, while selling at much lower price points. If you like world-class age-worthy Pinot or classic Barolo, this wine definitely deserves your attention.
The Ornato is fermented in stainless steel with rigorous attention to detail paid to the cap, ensuring the perfect amount of extraction. Following maceration on the skins for about 30 days, the wine sees 30 months in French and Slavonian oak barrels.
For an earlier drinking and value introduction to their classic style, check out Pio Cesare’s Langhe Nebbiolo 2021. Made from Nebbiolo grown around Barolo and Barbaresco, it offers pure notes of roses and geranium, red cherry and wild strawberry, underpinned by fine, sandy tannins. It’s graceful and persistent, and offers an approachable expression of Nebbiolo that will drink well now and throughout the next few years, and at a great price for the wines quality.
Pio Cesare makes wine in a style that ‘works well in highlighting the essence of site’ (Vinous). They are now under the guidance of fifth-generation family members, Federica Rosy Boffa and her cousin Cesare Benvenuto, who both worked alongside the late and legendary Pio Boffa, immersing themselves in the estate and its winemaking traditions. The estate continuously impresses us every year, and are an integral part of the history of Piedmontese wines.
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Tasting Notes:
Pio Cesare Barolo Ornato 2020
‘Ornato has been the Pio Cesare estate’s cru since 1985. In 2020, the grapes were harvested on 5 October, after the heavy rainfall. Mineral and smoky, with intense violet notes alongside cherry kernel and rhubarb, it’s full of graphite flavour and almost zestiness on the palate, supported by tight-knit tannins. Polished and thick on the finish. ’Compared to 2019, we used gentler extractions in 2020,’ explains Federica Boffa, now in charge at Pio Cesare.’ – Aldo Fiordelli, Decanter, 96/100
‘The most powerful of the bunch is the Pio Cesare 2020 Barolo Ornato. This is a structured wine with firm tannins and dense fruit that falls on the darker side of the spectrum with blackberry and damson plum. You also get that typical Serralunga d’Alba imprint of rusty mineral and dark licorice. The wine is quite ample in terms of volume and depth, and iy’s definitely reflective of its territory of origin. Production is 12,325 bottles, and larger formats were also made.’ – Monica Larner, Wine Advocate, 95/100
Pio Cesare Langhe Nebbiolo 2021
‘Shows richness, with mellowing cherry and raspberry flavors, plus accents of wild herbs and earth. There are ample tannins, yet this remains fresh and balanced, with fine length. Drink now.’ – Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator
