PIO CESARE - BARBARESCO 2013
The winery was founded over a century ago, in 1881 by Cesare Pio, and is now run by his descendants, the Boffa family. The winery sits squarely on top of ancient Roman walls in the heart of the town of Alba. With seventy hectares spread across the region, Pio Cesare have access to superior terroir. This, coupled with their traditional production methods, results in some of the most classic, ageworthy wines here.
Barbaresco is one of the great wines of the Piedmont region in northwestern Italy. Historically it was called Nebbiolo di Barbaresco (Nebbiolo being the grape it's made from) and was used by the Austrian General Melas to celebrate his victory over the French in 1799. Only in the middle of the 19th Century was the wine we know today vinified into a dry style.
Its vineyards are situated in the Langhe, on the right-hand side of the Tanaro river and extending from the area northeast of Alba to the communes of Barbaresco, Neive and Treiso, as well as San Rocco Senodelvio.
Similar to its more famous sibling Barolo, Barbaresco is made from 100 percent Nebbiolo and shares its cult status as one of the finest wines in the world. However, there are several differences between the two. Barbaresco has a slightly maritime climate: warmer, drier and milder than its neighbor. This means its grapes tend to ripen earlier than those in Barolo. As a result, the wines are less tannic and more approachable at an earlier age.
