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Pio Cesare Barbaresco Il Bricco 2017

Pio Cesare
Year
€130.70
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97 points James Suckling and 93 points Robert Parker

The Wine Advocate
RP 93
Monica Larne: With fruit from the village of Treiso, the Pio Cesare 2017 Barbaresco Il Bricco presents a delicate and fine tapestry of small fruits, wild blueberries, blue flowers, smoky ash and licorice. There is a tarry note to this vintage that is certainly driven by the heat and dryness of the summer season. Despite this extreme climate, the wine is gracefully restrained and never overripe or heavy.

The exceptional outpouring of emotion following the death of Pio Boffa, the legendary figure behind Pio Cesare, earlier this year has become a landmark moment for Italian wine as the industry grapples with the emotional and economic devastation left by the coronavirus.

Pio Boffa, 66, passed away on the evening of April 17, 2021, after a two-week battle with COVID-19. The Italian wine community mourned his death, setting the internet ablaze with emotional tributes, photos and memories, just as the rest of the nation was beginning to see the first signs of light at the end of this pandemic tunnel.

Pio Boffa was the fourth generation of his family to head Pio Cesare, founded by his great-grandfather Cesare Pio in 1881. The Alba-based winery would become one of the most important in Italy, with 70 hectares of vineyards and an annual production of half a million bottles. Today, the wines are exported to more than 50 countries.

Pio Boffa will be remembered for his charisma, his generosity and his love of life, wine and social life. And, as I can personally attest, he was particularly interested in encouraging opportunities for a younger generation of wine professionals. His exaggerated enthusiasm was contagious.

Boffa passed away just as his beloved company celebrated its 140th anniversary.

To mark the occasion, two special commemorative wines will be released. The first is a Barolo Riserva 2000 (with only 500 bottles available). The label features an image of a key worn as a necklace by the family matriarch, Nonna Rosy, who passed away last year at the age of 98. Going forward, Pio Cesare will implement a late-release wine program featuring special selections from its historic cellars.

The second celebratory wine is a Barolo del Comune di Serralunga d'Alba 2017. Exactly 1,881 bottles were produced, one for each year since the company was founded. The wine uses fruit from four vineyards: Ornato, La Briccolina, La Serra and Lirano.

Now a fifth generation is at the helm of the company. Pio Boffa’s daughter Federica Rosy and his nephew Cesare Benvenuto currently run the company.
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