Pio Cesare Barbaresco DOCG 2017

Aromas of dried orange, berry and hazelnut with hints of dried flowers. Tar, too. Full-bodied with chewy tannins and a juicy finish. The tannins are very fine and integrated. Chewy and encompassing flow across the palate. Very structured. Try after 2024.

The Pio Cesare 2017 Barbaresco is subtle and fine in personality, yet there is plenty of Nebbiolo elegance and complexity. Past vintages of this wine have shown enormous consistency when it come to their inner finesse, and this hot, more challenging vintage is no different. That's quite an accomplishment on its own. Tart cherry and cassis segue to spice, campfire ash, tobacco and dried lavender flower. Perhaps the tannic power of the wine is more robust but not by too much.

2017 was a hot, dry summer with minimal rainfall until August. Green harvests were essential to produce balanced wines. Maceration temperature and length of time were also reduced in response to the conditions. A blend of four vineyards, including Il Bricco and other nearby sites in Treiso, this displays aromas of tobacco, leather, damp earth and delicate hedgerow berries. It has a good concentration of red berries in the mouth, with balancing acidity. Fine but structured tannins emerge on a sweet strawberry mid-palate along with some peppery spice, leading to a long, minty finish.