Iconic Barolo Producer Debuts First Single-Vineyard Barolo in 30 Years
New York, NY, August 26th, 2019 – Pio Cesare, one of Piedmont’s most historic and well-respected wine estates, is excited to launch the Barolo Mosconi 2015, its first single-vineyard Barolo in 30 years. The wine marks the estate’s first venture into the Monforte d’Alba comune, one of the best in the region. The 2015 is the first-ever release of Pio Cesare’s Barolo Mosconi, with the 2015 vintage itself of Barolo a fantastic year.
Family-owned and operated since 1881, Pio Cesare has long been a leader in Piedmont and a champion of classically-made Nebbiolo, producing world-class Barolos and Barbarescos. The Mosconi vineyard is phenomenal terroir, considered to be one of the “grand cru” sites in the Monforte d’Alba comune, itself one of the most prestigious areas of Piedmont.
“We are thrilled to release this inaugural vintage of the Barolo Mosconi,” notes Pio Boffa, fourth-generation owner and winemaker of Pio Cesare. “We had the great opportunity to acquire the Mosconi vineyard in December 2014, just a few days before my 60th birthday. This is only our second single-vineyard Barolo, coming 30 years after the single-vineyard Ornato. Mosconi’s soils and microclimates allow Nebbiolo to grow exceptionally well and produce styles of Barolo with great structure, incredibly unique and distinctive aromas, and big opulent tannins that are accessible and ripe, silky and rich.”
Pio Boffa has led his family‘s charge into modern winemaking with an approach of minimal intervention, creating wines of supple flavor expression. A ceaseless devotion to the individuality of each of the region‘s wines informs Pio‘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 rather by the thirst of the market. This allows Pio Cesare to supply wines of varying weight, ageability, and drinkability all at once as determined by the vineyard rather than the fashion. The results have been astounding. Year after year, the wines of Pio Cesare are ranked among the world’s best wines. From world-class Barolo and Barbaresco to crisp Cortese and sweet Moscato, the wines of Pio Cesare offer exceptional quality and variety.
“We deliberately vinified the grapes separately for the Barolo Mosconi in order to gauge the quality and the style of the wine that these old vines (1947 and 1971) could produce,” adds Boffa. “As the skins macerated in the fermenters, we were pleasantly surprised to discover the excellent, complex, structured, and ripened tannic style of these wines, very different from the style of our Barolo Ornato — equally great and unique, but with firmer and fruitier tannins, structure and austerity, and requiring more time to express itself.”
5,000 bottles and 300 magnums of the Barolo Mosconi 2015 were produced in this first vintage. Imported exclusively into the U.S. by Maisons Marques & Domaines (MMD USA), the wine is at a retail price of $200, and is now available across the country.
About Pio Cesare www.piocesare.it/en
Pio Cesare has been producing wine for more than 100 years and through generations. The tradition began in 1881, when Pio Cesare started gathering grapes in his vineyards and purchasing those of some selected and reliable farmers in the hills of Barolo and Barbaresco districts. At Pio Cesare, there has always been a conviction that great wine can come only from the finest grapes and the winery’s output has always been limited through adherence to the highest standards. Pio Cesare limits its production by using only the most mature and healthy grapes. The ripening of the grapes is carefully monitored and the harvest is rigidly controlled with each grape selected by hand. Today, the estate is managed by Pio Boffa, great-grandson of Pio Cesare. Under his stewardship, the wines of Pio Cesare have become famous throughout the world. Great strides have been made in quality, and single vineyard offerings have dazzled the wine press.
