Nebbiolo
75cl * 14.5% ABV * Vegan * Barolo DOCG, Piedmont, Italy
This historic family-owned estate is named after its founder Cesare Pio, who established the business in 1881. The winery is based in Alba, in the heart of Piemonte and is now run by Federica Boffa and Cesare Benvenuto, the fifth generation of the family. Pio Cesare developed Barolo’s reputation overseas in the 1950s by being one of the first producers to export the wine to the UK.
The Ornato vineyard is a large amphitheatre, exposed to the sun from early morning to late afternoon with an average vine age of 30 years and is widely considered to be one of the top vineyards in the whole Barolo area. The grapes are usually the first on the estate to be harvested. The wine is fermented in stainless steel with skin contact for 15 days and aged in mid-toasted French oak botti for 36 months, with a small quantity aged in barriques for the first 12 months.
Serve with red meat dishes, game or seasonal trffle, mature cheeses.
"Complex on the nose, offering a blend of ripe red berries, nutty minerals, orange-peel and spice. Some savory, almost meaty notes, too. Full, compact and intense, yet there’s a graceful feel to the palate, thanks to the really fine web of tannin. Super polish and promise here. Classy. Needs some time. Try from 2025." 96 Points, James Suckling
"Spicy, displaying white pepper, cumin, fennel seed and mineral notes that frame a core of macerated plum and cherry. Dense, viscous and lively, this is balanced and expressive. Ends with excellent length and power. Best from 2025 through 2043." 95 Points, Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator
"The 2018 Barolo Ornato reveals some very distant hot-vintage aromas that are vaguely reminiscent of dried raspberry or stewed plum. Nebbiolo is extremely sensitive to the warmer temperatures and even a hint of extra ripeness is easily detected. However, the wine is fluid and ever-evolving. Those fruit-driven aromas soon transition over to brooding complexity with smoke, tar and licorice. The Ornato paints a wide picture of that characteristic Serralunga d’Alba intensity." 94 Points, Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
"The 2018 Barolo Ornato is somber, brooding and quite closed in on itself. There’s a ton of aromatic and flavor complexity, but the fruit is very much in the background. It will be interesting to see if the 2018 emerges, or if it remains rather compact, as it is today. There’s a good bit of density and power behind all of that tannin. Hints of blood orange, crushed raspberry, rose petal and cinnamon linger on the super-classic finish." 94 Points, Antoni Galloni, Vinous
"Pio Cesare owns the largest part of Ornato, located between Briccolina and Falletto. The Serralunga character is exquisitely typical here, with wild strawberry and cherry fruit allied to rhubarb and minerality. The attack is silky, with great concentration and savouriness, woven acidity and refined tannins to the persistent finish. Drink 2022-2038." 95 Points, Aldo Fiorelli, Decanter