Pio Cesare Barbaresco Il Bricco DOCG
Piemonte, Italy
Vintage:2020 (Current)
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Reviews
Wine Enthusiast 94 Points
As classic as they come, the wines from il Bricco always shows the passion that Pio Cesare bring to making wine. Aromas of dark cherry jam, plum compote with crushed bay leave and ground spices define the nose. Elegant with a fine line of tannins that runs from the beginning to end that provides a balance bar for the flavors wild berries, black tea and savory spices to perform on, a true high-wire act that is pulled off with near perfections. A gem of a wine. Drink from 2026.
Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
The 2020 Barbaresco Il Bricco pours a youthful ruby hue and is fragrant with fresh violets, black raspberries, crushed stones, and blood orange. Savory and lightly sanguine, the palate offers medium body, fine tannins, a refreshing lift of acidity, and a snappy, mouthwatering finish. It is ripe and inviting without ever feeling heavy and has a light, earthy finish. Drink 2024-2036.
JamesSuckling.com 97 Points
Exquisite aromas of strawberries, cherries, hibiscus and cranberries. Hints of cedar and sandalwood. Medium body, with very fine tannins that run the length of the wine and have melted into the wine beautiful. Give this four or six years to completely open.
Overview
The Pio Cesare family’s unique winemaking method stresses minimal intervention to produce wines of particularly supple flavor expression. A ceaseless devotion to the individuality of each of the region’s wines informs 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 market fashion.
This wine is a single-vineyard Barbaresco using very ripe grapes from several plots in the famous Il Bricco estate owned by the Pio Cesare family. While soils in surrounding villages are sandy, the Il Bricco vineyard is primarily composed of limestone and clay. In the Piemontese dialect, Il Bricco translates to "peak of the hill." Reaching 400 meters above sea level, this estate is characterized by cool weather and important diurnal swings—both favorable conditions for the ripening of the Nebbiolo grape.
Winemaking
Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks, with 15 days of skin contact. This wine ages in French oak for 30 months: 70 percent in new barriques and 30 percent in 20-hectoliter casks. It is produced in small quantities and only in excellent vintages.
Tasting Notes
A traditional vintage delivering fresh fruits and beautiful aromas, with great structure and complexity, intense color and a balanced acidity, already approachable with its gentle tannins—all the classic components of the great vintages of Barbaresco.
Harvest Notes
2020 has been a remarkably high-quality vintage and our vineyards turned out to be, in such a difficult and challenging year with the explosion of COVID-19, ideal examples of resilience and of the impressive force of Mother Nature, so cruel with human beings yet so full of mercy with the vines. Green harvesting—which kept us busy for almost one whole month, from the end of July to the end of August—was fundamental in 2020: the results of this practice are grapes with more concentration, depth, lower acidity, better phenological ripening and less green tannins. We are very much in love with the intense red fruit of the 2020 vintage—still very young but already very drinkable—rich and complex on the nose with a great depth especially in the Barolos.
The delicate use of the oak is very well integrated with the gentle tannins, the aromas and the acidity creating a harmonious balance, especially in the Barbarescos. A superb high-quality and accessible vintage which will as well reveal the great ageing potential of Nebbiolo.
Technical Information
Varietals: 100% Nebbiolo
Harvest Start Date: September 26, 2020
Harvest End Date: October 5, 2020
Average Vine Age: 40 years
Aging: In French oak for 30 months, 70% in new barriques and 30% in 20-hectoliter casks
Cases Produced: 6,930 bottles, 180 magnums and 6 jeroboams