A Private Tasting of Pio Cesare Wines

Pio Boffa and wife Nicoletta with the Pio Cesare wines

It is very seldom that I get to attend very intimate tastings that display a grandiose line of wines where the host is passionate in the message of the vintages he wishes to convey even if the bottles seem to triple the number of those people sampling the line (I just thought we needed reinforcements during that night)... Wine trader and writer Sherwin Lao and I met up with Pio Boffa and his charming wife Nicoletta to sample their family’s range of Piedmontese wines known as Pio Cesare. The Pio Cesare winery was founded in 1881 by Pio Boffa’s grandfather Cesare Pio and was one of the very first wine producers to believe in the great potential and quality of Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera and in the other great wines of Piemonte. The family dedicated themselves to a philosophy that maximized the great potential of terroir and quality wine making. Their cellars are actually within the walls of an ancient Roman wine making area in Alba and they now own numerous selected vineyards and are very well respected by wine lovers and collectors.

Meeting Pio Boffa for the first time shows a passionate character who truly hails from a generation of wine makers and vineyard owners. What makes him special is that their properties are mostly within Alba which ‘is the center of Truffle cuisine and trade.’ Pio Boffa, as he talks about his wine and the cuisine of his region, is a living expression of “Parla come mangi!” (speak the language of your food…)

We started the tasting with a Gavi, an easy drinking rather fresh white then proceeded to an unoaked red and fresh Dolcetto. What I was expecting was a whole slew of very traditional styles that left me in surprise because Pio Boffa would start us off with the traditional classic and let us sample the modern single vineyard styles that have not lost their varietal character and display of terroir but have a new dose of up-front excitement in their character and complexities.

Here are some notes in our tastings:

First Flight:

Gavi – 100% Cortese Grape; straw colored light lemon yellow with a greenish tinge; ripe fruit freshness, spicy, steely aromas, silky white fleshed fruit, light acid; great with  antipasti and appetizers; light fish dishes  and carpaccio

Dolcettod’Alba D.O.C 2011 – 100% Nebbiolo – a mix of different vineyards and some from the classic Barolo area; 12 days skin contact with stainless steel fermentation so fresh fruit  flavors are brought forward such as red berries and persimmons; this is a Piedmontese style of Beajolais with a peppery sophistication; beautiful medium purple color with floral back notes; goes well with appetizers, barbecued meats, pasta, pizza, carpaccio and grilled  fish and is excellent all around wine

Barberad’Alba D.O.C 2010 –  spicy nose, red berries  with hint of oak, good acid structure with a deep heart; peppery with a black cherry finish; aged 18 months in French oak; a fascinating  Barbera grown in the Barolo area with subtle and surprising complexities; partners well with roasts, grilled meats

“Fides” Barberad’Alba D.O.C 2010 – single vineyard from Pio Cesare’s colombaro vineyard; Fides means trust and faith; a true art of faith when the Pio Family instead of planting Nebbiolo in the Barolo area where a great Barolo can be made, planted their Barbera; this, in fact, in terms of cost, is a rather expensively made Barbera considering the opportunity cost per acre; only 7,000 bottles were produced in this vintage; side by side with their Barberad’Alba, Fides shows more depth as it displays its vanilla and oakiness with more concentration, structure, depth and harmony of flavors; a good balance of black and red fruits such as tarts and black cherries, red and black plums and sweet wood spices; it is a sumptuous wine to be enjoyed with a good cut of grilled meat or braised game

NebbioloLanghe D.O.C 2010 – Spending 30 months in French oak this 100% Nebbiolo from different historical suppliers of the family is a wine of earthy character with lots of complexity; chocolate aromas spring out with violets, gentian; red and ripe berry fruits with a hint of gentle toasting make this rich wine an excellent partner for mushroom and truffle based dishes, grilled steak cuts and cheese

Second Flight:

The second flight featured Pio Cesare’s higher graded and government guaranteed quality wines or D.O.C.G.

Barbaresco DOCG2008 – a technique of blending 35% of this wine aged in small French barriques for 30 months and 65% in French oak casks for three years not only give character but also to give softness and suppleness to the wine; this wine has very good ageing potential yet it is already ready drinking with gentleness and finesse; it is minty with ripe and spicy fruit plummy and cherry flavors go side by side with vanilla and light toast

“IL Bricco” Barbaresco D.O.C.G2008 – only 5,000 bottles were made from this single vineyard wine; the ageing process is similar to their traditional Barbaresco as 70% stays in new barriques and 30% stays in larger casks; this wine is powerful and structured with floral and sweet spices on the nose; it is rich in ripe fruit and has good ageing capabilities; only excellent vintages are declared.

I tried this on a caponata of tomatoes and red pepper and surprisingly stood up to the strong, almost cancelling properties of the capsicum. I would love to have this wine with rustic food alforno or alagriglia, mushroom smothered or long braised.

Barolo D.O.C.G2008 – a classic Barolo with excellent structure; mild tannins and balanced fruit; although it is a drink now wine, it has potentials for ageing with good vanilla, plum and spice notes from double French oak ageing

“Ornato” Barolo D.O.C.G2008 – This is a very rich Barolo with beautiful and sensual glove leather aromas. With 9,000 bottles made, this powerful wine with its plumy, red and black forest berry complexity combined with earthy, peppery mushroom characters are an offshoot of mid toasted French oak ageing for 36 months. Again,their characteristic new barriques blending with larger cask ageing gives this wine a truly Pio Cesare signature. 

For more information about these wines, you can contact Sherwin Lao at tel. no. 0917-525-9887.

You can email me at 

chefgenegonzalez@yahoo.com [1].