With fruit from Montforte d'Alba, the Pio Cesare 2020 Barolo Mosconi was first produced in 2015. Although the winery team has more than five years of experience with Mosconi, Cesare Benvenuto tells me that there was a steep learning curve with this wine. Mosconi is 300 meters removed from Ornato; however, the results are quite different, especially in terms of the mouthfeel. Mosconi shows silky or velvety tannins, and Ornato is more structured. This wine is lifted in terms of aromas, with bright raspberry and blue flowers. It reveals an open but translucent quality that gives this Barolo an especially elegant and undertone personality. Production is 6,900 bottles.

The estate’s flagship MGA, Ornato has been produced since 1985, selected from the central part of the amphitheatre. Over the years, I have found the pronounced wood imprint has diminished, however it has not lost the robust, muscular signature of this site. The 2021 is classically austere and will require time to reveal its complexities. For now, it hints at iron, tar, scorched earth and cedar wood. Full but tight and absorbed in its rigid tannins, what gives this promise is the juicy acidity, the occasional flicker of fresh rose, and the overall polished texture.

Fresh and attractive with red currants, wild strawberry, brushwood and rosehip tea, it's quite full with some richness to the fruit but assertive tannins which step in to lend proper support. Long and evocatively earthy on the finish. With the passing of longtime patriarch Pio Boffa in 2021, this historic estate is now in the capable hands of his 20-something daughter Federica Boffa and nephew Cesare Benvenuto. Bringing together eight vineyards from five villages, this classic bottling demonstrates more immediate balance than the Ornato. It clearly serves a distinct purpose by providing a panorama of the zone and offering earlier drinking.

A supple and classic barbera with aromas of milk chocolate, violets, black cherries and plums. Fresh, silky, well balanced and not too warm. Medium-bodied. Chewy and polished finish. Drink now.

The Barolo offers dark red cherry aromas with notes of leather and earth. It’s round and full on the palate with good depth of flavor and rich extract on a long finish. It’s a blend across 7 vineyards in 5 villages with the Ornato vineyard in Serralunga the single most important source.