Pio Cesare, Barbera d’Alba, Piedmonte, Italy 2021

The Barbera grapes grown in the Barolo area give full structure, plummy and complex flavor, with spicy and ripe fruit, blackberry aroma and a hint of toasted tobacco. It ages quite well. Vinous, this classic Barbera has a very well balanced acidity and really represents the traditional character of the Barbera grape.

Convinced that great wine can come only from the finest grapes, Pio Cesare’s unique winemaking method relies on minimal intervention to produce classic wines of distinctive character.

Since 1881, a ceaseless devotion to the individuality of each of the region’s wines has informed Pio Cesare’s choices in the cellar: shorter maceration, separate lot fermentation, judicious selection for barrel and large cask aging, and bottling schedules determined by the ideal structure of each wine. This allows Pio Cesare to craft wines of varying weight, ageability and drinkability as determined by the vineyard rather than current trends.

Pio Cesare limits its production by using only the most mature and healthy grapes. The ripening of the grapes is carefully monitored and the harvest is rigidly controlled with each grape selected by hand.

Year after year, the wines of Pio Cesare are recognized for their consistency and regional expression. From world-class Barolo and Barbaresco to crisp Cortese and sweet Moscato, the wines of Pio Cesare offer exceptional quality and variety.

The grapes for the Barbera d’Alba come from the family-owned vineyards in Serraluga d’Alba (Ornato and Colombaro), in Sinio, Diano d’Alba and Grinzane Cavour. There are 15 days of skin contact in stainless steel temperature-controlled fermenters. The wine is aged for 18 months in French Allier oak, 30 percent in mid-toasted barriques that are half new and half one year old. The remaining 70 percent were aged in 20 to 50 hectoliter casks of Allier oak that are about eight years old.