GREAT ITALIAN WINES TASTING

Nebbiolo Grapes: Pure

Pio Cesare

Alba (Cuneo)

The company was founded in 1881 in the heart of the historic center of Alba by Pio Cesare (Pio was his surname, Cesare his first name), the maternal great-grandfather of current owner Pio Boffa. Pio Cesare was one of the first at the time to believe in the immense potential of hillside "terroirs" of Barolo and Barbaresco for the production of great wines and tenaciously--and with scrupulous respect for quality--began producing Nebbiolo, Barolo, Barbaresco and Nebbiolo d'Alba wines, as well as other traditional Piedmont wines such as Dolcetto, Barbera and Grignolino, to mention a few.

     In 122 years of history, four generations have taken the reins of Pio Cesare while always strictly maintaining faith with the philosphy of the founder: uncompromising quality. The company has always had its headquarters in the historic center of Alba; the cellars embrace and are marked off by the ancient walls that the Romans built when they founded the city, then called Alba Pompeia. The remains of these ancient walls, the buildings and the cellars of an old residence built at the end of the 1700's are now home to the most modern technologies used in the production of quality wines. This reflects the philosophy of the family that has always blended the purest tradition applied with religiouos respect and curious yet prudent attention toward the constrantly evolving tastes of demanding and expert clients all over the world.

     Today the family owns 45 hectares of vineyards in the Barbaresco and Barolo zones; it produces about 350,000 bottles annually, of which 70% is exported to more than 35 countries worldwide.

The wine: Ornato Barolo DOCG 1998 in Magnum

Grapes used: Nebbiolo 100% from the "Ornato" estate vineyard in Serralunga d'Alba (Barolo zone).

Production Characteristics: the particular character of the soil, micro-climate and exposure of these vines ensures that grape bunches are extremely concentrated and rich. Medium-temperature fermentation together with maceration for 12 days produce a wine with strong yet soft tannins, that are rounded off and further softened through refinement partly in small French oak barrels and partly in the large, traditional oak barrels of Slavonia. Bottled in March 2001, ageing in the bottle lasted 6 months.

Alcohol: 14% vol.

Presented by Pio Boffa

Pio Boffa, the fourth generation at Pio Cesare Co., was born in Alba (Cuneo) December 13, 1954. He and his family manage the company founded in 1881 by his maternal great-grandfather. In 1974, just 20 years old, he joined company management alongside his father, who died in 2000. While keeping faith with the production tradition of the family, he successfully flanked classic wines with "new" products such as Piodilei Chardonnay, Barolo Ornato, Barbaresco Il Bricco and Barbera d'Alba Fides. The tasting today is Barolo Ornato 1997.

Winery

Pio Cesare

Via C. Balbo 6, 12051 Alba

Tel: 39 0173.440386 Fax: 39 0173.363680

Email: piocesare@piocesare.it