“The Pio Cesare NV Barolo Chinato pours from the bottle with a dark amber color with shiny chestnut highlights. This fortified digestif shows amazing purity and intensity, with aromas that you can list and identify clearly one by one. There is balsam and medicinal herb with minty cough syrupy, cola and candied orange peel. With time, you might also sense some Moroccan spice or toasted Spanish cedarwood. The alcohol content is registered at 16% although it surely feels much higher. Balanced sweetness wraps smoothly over the palate. I'm never quite sure how to assign a drinking window to Barolo Chinato, and it is ostensibly built to last forever.”

“This is a Barolo that's easy to drink but it's far from simple. Restrained aromas of rose, dark fruits and orange leaf are followed by a firm and tannic palate, although it's also crisp, lively and refreshing. It has a grainy youthful texture and an austere finish with good length. It will improve with age.”

“The very first single-vineyard Barolo produced by the family, first made in 1985, this is vinified in stainless steel tanks with moderate temperature control. It then undergoes maceration for 30 days and ageing in botti for about 30 months, with a small portion of the wine in French oak barriques for the first 12 months. Dark ruby in colour, it has aromas of raspberry, rose, violet, cherry, slatey minerality and graphite. The attack is subtle, the tannins polished, with an extracted mid-palate. Assertive acidity and an austere finish are balanced by fragrant cherry fruit and a liquorice aftertaste.”

“Mosconi is an MGA that is often picked late and so could possibly have benefited from the warm and dry 2017 vintage. This example from Pio Cesare is focused on elegance with lifted, concentrated aromas and flavours of orange peel, strawberry jam, rose and a touch of smoke, which all become intoxicating on the palate. This great intensity and concentration are supported by firm, muscular tannins and an assertive finish, combined with crisp acidity. Rarely in this 2017 vintage do we find this combination of fruit weight and strength of structure.”

“This year's releases are poignant as Pio Boffa recently passed away. This is the estate's classic Barolo, produced with Nebbiolo grapes located in the top plots across different communes since 1881. The wine is floral, focused on violet and rose, with a blood orange touch, yet a darker fruit and chocolatey flavour. Firm, extracted and rugged at present, with a good but austere finish, it will age gracefully.”