Pio Cesare Barbaresco ‘Il Bricco’ 2018

Producer Information

This historic family-owned estate is named after its founder Cesare Pio, who established the business in 1881. The winery is based in Alba, in the heart of Piemonte and is now run by Federica Boffa and Cesare Benvenuto, the fifth generation of the family. Pio Cesare developed Barolo’s reputation overseas in the 1950s by being one of the first producers to export the wine to the UK. The founder’s great grandson Pio Boffa was deeply convinced of the importance of cultivating and growing owned land to produce high quality wines and played a key role in the acquisition of vineyards in the same locations where Cesare Pio used to buy his grapes from. Today Pio Cesare owns 70 hectares in the hills of Barolo and Barbaresco and makes wines in a style that manages to balance the best of the old with the best of the new. The estate includes most of the municipalities in the Barolo and Barbaresco areas.

Vineyards

The grapes are sourced exclusively from the single vineyard ‘Il Bricco’ estate, one of the prime sites within the Barberesco appellation situated in the village of Trieso.

Winemaking

After pressing, the grape juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks and was left in contact with the skins for around 30 days. The majority of the wine was then aged in French oak traditional “botti” for around 30 months, while a small proportion is aged in barriques for the first 12 months.

Vintage Information

After a dry 2017 vintage, 2018 started with a long and cold winter with good rain and snowfall that restored the soil’s water supply and as a result bud-break took place at the end of March. Spring was wet, with cooler temperatures that lasted until the beginning of the Summer, when long sunshine hours and a cooling breeze allowed for a long ripening period. This perfect weather continued throughout harvest and grapes were picked in perfectly healthy condition. Harvest began on the 17th September for the reds at Pio Cesare and finished on 13th October.

Tasting Note

The 2018 Barbaresco Il Bricco shows ample depth and intensity with dark fruit, smoke, toasted spice and cured tobacco. This is a production of 6,393 numbered bottles. This vintage shows a mid-weight approach with rich fruit weight and polished tannins.(Monica Larner, Wine Advocate)

Food Pairing

Serve with red meat dishes, game or seasonal truffle, mature cheeses.

Serving Suggestion

Serve at 16-18°C.

Press

94 points – Wine Advocate, Monica Larner

 

Barbaresco DOCG, Piemonte
100% Nebbiolo
Natural Cork
Yes
Yes

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