Purple fruit bursts from the glass like a summer berry pie cooling on the windowsill, with sweet spices and violet candies playing backup singers. This is classic Barbera doing its favorite dance move: zesty red fruits and flowery notes zip across the palate with that trademark lightning bolt of acidity keeping everything fresh and fun. 

Mid ruby with the beginning of orange tinges. Real depth of earthy sweet-cherry fruit with minerally touches. Suave red fruit with gripping, finely ground tannins underneath. Real classic Barolo.

The Pio Cesare 2021 Barbaresco presents a solid core of dark fruit, cherry and redcurrant, with spice and dried rose petal elegantly layered in at the back. This wine paints an accurate picture of a classic vintage with nicely ripened fruit and firm tannins. It sees 30 months in oak, mostly in large oak casks and some neutral barrique.

The Pio Cesare 2021 Barolo draws fruit from various sites, and like the Barbaresco, you get an excellent portrait of the vintage with balanced acidity, firm tannins and bright primary fruit. There is energy and vitality in this pretty Barolo with dried cherry, iris and subtle dustings of iron ore or rust.

We are seeing some exciting Chardonnays from Piedmont in Northern Italy. The Pio Cesare 2022 Langhe Chardonnay Piodilei opens to pretty citrusy notes and ashy mineral tones. There is almond cream and spice at the back. The Piodilei paints an accurate portrait of the grape with a nice sense of creaminess.