Pio Cesare Barolo - $71.99

Wine Details

Vintage: 1998
Price: $71.99
Producer: Pio Cesare
Region: Piedmont
Varietal: Nebbiolo
Container Size: 750 ML
Flavors: berry, coffee, plum, spicy, truffle
  • Award Winning
  • Red Wine
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Expert Ratings

Ratings   Vintage Source Flavors
WineSpectator - 92 Details: Has fabulous blackberry and mineral, with hints of toasty oak. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a long, long finish. Very concentrated, yet racy and structured. Resembles the 2000. Gorgeous. Best after 2009. 6,000 cases made. –JS 2003 WineSpectator blackberry, mineral, toasty oak
WineSpectator - 88 Details: Pleasing aromas of milk chocolate and fruit. Medium-bodied, with delicious fruit and light vanilla flavors and a medium finish. Drink now. 3,500 cases made. –JS 2002 WineSpectator
Tanzer - 91-94 Details: Good full medium ruby. Highly aromatic nose combines cherry, blackberry, tar, truffle, dried flowers, minerals, humus and spices. Utterly silky on entry, then drier and more laid-back than the Barbaresco classico in the middle palate. Very long and rich on the back end, with substantial but ripe tannins and terrific building length. I added a bit of barrique juice to my glass to approximate the final blend, and found the wine to be even fresher, spicier and more minerally. 2001 Tanzer blackberry, cherry, flowers, minerally, minerals, spices, tar, truffle
WineSpectator - 94 Details: Very pretty plum and fresh flower aromas follow through to a full-bodied palate, with velvety tannins and a long, long finish. Layered and serious. Very close to the fabulous 1997. Best after 2009. 7,000 cases made. –JS 2001 WineSpectator plum
WineSpectator - 93 Details: Meaty and earthy aromas open to wonderful raspberries and strawberries. Full-bodied, with silky tannins and a lovely chocolate, berry aftertaste. Drink this and understand Barolo. Best after 2009. 7,000 cases made. –JS 2000 WineSpectator berry, chocolate, earthy, meaty, raspberries, strawberries
Tanzer - 92+ Details: ($72) Full, deep red. Vibrant aromas of raspberry, smoke and underbrush; as with the 2001s, this comes across as more primary than the Barbaresco. Fat, dense and backward, with a layered texture and superb acidity for the vintage. Not at all a jammy style of 2000; in fact, this seems distinctly cool and aristocratic. The huge, rising finish features big, ripe tannins and powerful, brooding fruit. 2000 Tanzer chocolatey, game, licorice, menthol, rose, tar
Tanzer - 92+ Details: ($72) Full, deep red. Vibrant aromas of raspberry, smoke and underbrush; as with the 2001s, this comes across as more primary than the Barbaresco. Fat, dense and backward, with a layered texture and superb acidity for the vintage. Not at all a jammy style of 2000; in fact, this seems distinctly cool and aristocratic. The huge, rising finish features big, ripe tannins and powerful, brooding fruit. 92+ points 2000 Tanzer jammy, raspberry, smoke
WineSpectator - 90 Details: Very ripe red with barley, toasted oak and plum character. Full-bodied, with very ripe fruit and velvety, smoky, spicy character. Consistently outstanding. Best after 2006. 7,000 cases made. –JS 1999 WineSpectator plum, ripe fruit, smoky, spicy, toasted oak
Tanzer - 91-93 Details: Saturated medium ruby. Deeply spicy, roasted aromas of redcurrant, tar, camphor and mint. Sweet, dense and powerful; this is packed with material. The wine's serious acid/tannin combination gives it outstanding vigor. A Barolo with terrific lively sweetness; really expands in the mouth. Finishes juicy and long, with chewy, ripe tannins. Likely to be the best Barolo normale of the recent string of excellent years. 1999 Tanzer camphor, mint, redcurrant, spicy, tar
Tastings - 88-92 Details: Deep, saturated ruby hue. Concentrated, brooding aromas reveal dark, dense fruit. A firm entry leads to an intense, full-bodied palate with big tannins and good cut. Will be a solid mid- to long-term cellar candidate 1999 Tastings
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Food Pairings

Category Pairing
Cheese Washed-rind Cheese (Livarot, Taleggio, etc...)
Red Meat Roast Beef, Lamb, Grilled or Roast Leg, Grilled or Broiled Chops or Rack of Lamb, Veal Carpaccio, Veal Chops, Game, Farmed Venison, Wild Game - Elk, Caribou, Moose, Venison, Pate or Liver, Liver
Pasta & Grains Pasta with Truffles
Poultry & Eggs Duck Confit, Pheasant
Vegetables Wild Mushrooms, Wild Mushroom Strudel
Sauces Red Wine Sauce, Stock Reductions, Bagna Cauda

Awards and Accolades

  Name Vintage
Award Winner Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2006 2001
Award Winner Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2008 2004

Wine Terms

Name Value
Italy Makes nearly as much wine as France, but lags behind in their classification system. As a result, Italian wine isn’t taken as seriously as French wine. Most Italian wine is made from native grape varieties that don’t grow well elsewhere, such as Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. The most important regions are Piedmont, where Barolo and Barbaresco dominate, Tuscany, home to Chianti, Montepulciano, and the Super-Tuscans (a collection of relatively new reds), and the Northeastern region, where you’ll find Soave, Valpolicella, and Bardolino. Italy’s soils and climates are varied and ideally suited for viticulture, from the Alpine foothills in the north to the Mediterranean coast in the South. Its hilly landscape provides sun and cooler temperatures, even in the warmest regions. Italy has two categories of fine wines. DOCG, which means regulated and guaranteed place name, refers to a small group of elite wines. DOB wines are those with regulated (but not guaranteed) place names. A lower tier of table wines are grouped into IGT wines, which indicate the location on the label, and ordinary table wines, which carry no geographical indication except, “Italy.”
Nebbiolo This noble variety from Italy is used primarily in Barolo and Barbaresco, two Piedmontese wines. It is a powerful, lusty grape, high in both tannin and acidity but balanced by an ample alcoholic content. Its color can be deep when the wine is young, but orangey tinges can develop within a few years. Its complex aroma is fruity, earthy, woodsy, herbal and floral.
Piedmont Located in the northwest cuff of the “boot,” Piedmont is home to the famous Nebbiolo grape. Barolo and Barbaresco, two of the world’s great red wines, are made from Nebbiolo grapes in the Langhe hills around Alba. Both are DOCG wines named after the village in which it is produced. Less expensive red wines include Dolcetta, Barbera, and softer versions of Nebbiolo. White wines are less well known in Piedmont, but two interesting whites are Gavi, which is dry and fairly acidic, and Arneis, a medium-dry wine with a rich texture.

Tasting Notes

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