Pio Cesare has been making wine in Alba since 1881, and Barolo is the reason the name travels. This is Nebbiolo from the hills of the Langhe, in Piedmont, bottled under the Barolo DOCG, the appellation that has governed the wine since 1980.
- Nebbiolo, the only grape allowed in Barolo.
- Barolo DOCG, Piedmont, northwest Italy.
- 2017, a warm vintage across the Langhe.
- Full body, high tannin, high acidity, dry.
- 14.5% alcohol, 750ml.
How it is made
Barolo DOCG rules require a minimum of 38 months of ageing before release, 18 of them in wood. Nebbiolo is a thin-skinned, late-ripening grape, and it holds its acidity and its tannin far longer than most red varieties do. That structure is what the appellation was built around.
How it tastes
Red cherry and tar, with rose petal over the top. Firm tannins hold the whole thing together and the acidity keeps it lifted rather than heavy, even at full body. Dark cherry and leather follow through on the length.
Where it comes from
The Langhe hills around Barolo and La Morra, in Piedmont. Nebbiolo gets its name from nebbia, the fog that settles over these hills at harvest time in October.
Good to know
Barolo has been called the wine of kings since the House of Savoy took it up in the 1800s. The grape is grown almost nowhere else in the world with the same result, which is why the zone is defined by law rather than by fashion.
Contains alcohol.
