Pio Cesare : Il Bricco 2018

Tasting characteristics and recommendations for Pio Cesare’s Il Bricco 2018

Tasting

Color

The color reveals a pale ruby hue with garnet highlights, emblematic of nebbiolo’s elegance.

Nose

The nose displays beautiful aromatic complexity, with notes of candied raspberry and red cherry, accompanied by floral nuances of lilac and rose. Tertiary aromas of tarry smoke, cedarwood and gentle spices such as cumin and white pepper enrich the bouquet. With aeration, hints of walnut, dried flowers, leather, and subtle notes of eucalyptus and licorice gradually emerge.

Palate

On the palate, this 2018 Barbaresco offers a classic structure combining richness and elegance. Flavors of red cherry, raspberry, and plum express themselves with intensity, supported by earthy notes of iron and tobacco. The palate also reveals a savory dimension with mineral and herbal touches. Silky, refined tannins provide fine structure without aggressiveness, while bright acidity maintains balance and liveliness. The finish stands out for its remarkable length and purity, leaving an impression of finesse and harmonious composition.

Food and wine pairings

This 2018 Barbaresco pairs beautifully with traditional Piedmontese dishes such as white truffle risotto, Piedmont-style braised beef, or truffle agnolotti. It also matches grilled red meats, game (venison, wild boar, pheasant), as well as aged cheeses such as mature Parmesan, gorgonzola, or Castelmagno. Poultry dishes with a truffle sauce also make an excellent pairing.

Serving and cellaring

This 2018 Barbaresco is best enjoyed at a temperature between 16 and 18°C in large red wine glasses, allowing its delicate aromas to fully express themselves. Decanting for one to two hours before serving is recommended for young bottles. This wine can be enjoyed now, but will continue to evolve favorably until around 2040, or even beyond under optimal cellaring conditions.

An elegant, refined Barbaresco from Piedmont, the expression of a historic estate

The estate

Founded in 1881 by Cesare Pio in the heart of Alba, Pio Cesare is among Italy’s most prestigious and historic producers. For nearly 150 years, this family estate has remained in the hands of the same family, now led by the fifth generation, represented by Federica Rosy Boffa and her cousin Cesare Benvenuto. Based in Alba’s historic center, the estate enjoys the unique privilege of using the city’s coat of arms on its labels. The cellars, built at the end of the 18th century and surrounded by ancient Roman walls, extend over four underground levels, offering ideal natural conditions for aging. Today, the estate manages around 75 to 80 hectares of vineyards across the Barolo and Barbaresco appellations, guided by a philosophy rooted in respect for the terroir and sustainable winegrowing practices.

The vineyard

This Barbaresco comes exclusively from family-owned plots located in the commune of Treiso, one of the appellation’s most prestigious areas. The vines are planted on outstanding sites such as Il Bricco, perched at around 410 meters above sea level, as well as the hills of San Stefanetto, San Stunet, and Bongiovanni. These high-altitude terroirs benefit from a cool microclimate with constant sunlight exposure throughout the day. The soils, composed primarily of limestone with well-balanced proportions of clay and sand, give the wines remarkable complexity and purity. The vineyard is farmed according to sustainable viticulture principles, without the use of chemical products, with integrated management practices that promote biodiversity and the vines’ natural health.

The vintage

The 2018 vintage in Piedmont was marked by a prolonged winter with abundant rainfall, replenishing soil water reserves after the 2017 drought. Spring and early summer brought good water availability, encouraging healthy vine growth. September proved exceptionally warm, with little day-to-night temperature variation. Despite these particular conditions, the 2018 vintage produced Barbaresco wines of surprisingly high quality, with fine structure, remarkable aromatic complexity, notable acidity, and silky tannins delivering great length on the palate.

Winemaking and aging

The grapes for this 2018 Barbaresco were vinified in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks with a skin maceration of around twenty days, extracting color and tannic structure while preserving aromatic delicacy. Aging followed a nuanced approach: 35% of the wine was aged for thirty months in French oak barrels, one third of which were new, while the remaining 65% matured for three years in large French oak vats of twenty to fifty hectoliters. This combination achieves a balance between the complexity imparted by barrels and the preservation of nebbiolo’s fruity character and elegance thanks to the larger vessels. During aging, the wines are moved by gravity rather than pumping, thus preserving their finesse and delicate aromatic profile.

Grape variety

100% nebbiolo