Barolo
Known as the king of wines, it is potent, complex and long-lived wine made from the Nebbiolo grape. The appellation is spread over 2,134 ha in total and consists of several villages and communes. divided into a multitude of individual vineyard sites and crus similar to Burgundy, with many producers owning small plots of the individual crus.
The main winemaking approach is a long maceration of Nebbiolo grapes - between 30 to 60 days -followed by a long maturation period in large old casks for a minimum of 38 months. And many producers often choose to age their wines even longer than this because of the intense fruit and powerful tannins of their grapes.
The combination of microclimate, altitude, soil, exposition and each winemaker’s individual touch is what makes every Barolo different. And in the main communes such as Serralunga, Castiglione Falletto, and La Morra, their Barolos are renowned for certain characteristics unique to each of them, due to their differing soils and exposition.
Barolo
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James Suckling (96)
Complex aromas of smoke, ash and dark fruits with a precision and intensity. Layered and gorgeous. Loads of dark fruit and perfume. Full-bodied with round and wonderfully polished tannins. Wonderful length and richness. Goes on for minutes. Try in 2023 but already good now.HK$3,400.00 -
(1x75cl) 2016Jeb Dunnuck (95)
The 2016 Barolo has resinous aromas of pine, dried wild strawberry, and dried herbs. The palate reveals ripe cherry fruit that is persistent on the mid-palate, with firm, angular tannic grip, dried herbs and balsamic. Hold in the cellar 2-5 years and drink 2024-2046.HK$940.00 -
Jeb Dunnuck (95)
The 2016 Barolo has resinous aromas of pine, dried wild strawberry, and dried herbs. The palate reveals ripe cherry fruit that is persistent on the mid-palate, with firm, angular tannic grip, dried herbs and balsamic. Hold in the cellar 2-5 years and drink 2024-2046.HK$2,110.00 -
HK$890.00 -
Susan Hulme MW (96)
2019 is shaping up to be a great vintage in Barolo and this Pio Cesare Barolo is a delightful example. The 2019 Pio Cesare Barolo has a very immediate and appealing nose..it has a beautiful, melting texture and super refined, perfectly ripe tannins. It is a classic Barolo in the old tradition of blending grapes from several different vineyard sites, in this case, three vineyards in Serralunga (Ornato, La Serra and Briccolina) as well as sites in La Morra, Grinzane Cavour, Novello and Monforte. Among the sweet red fruit and spice is a little twist of iron and a distinctive mineral note which evokes the Ornato vineyard and adds an extra dimension. This 2019 Barolo has such an appealing, outgoing and charming personality but also the power to last. I particularly like the transformation that has taken place with the tannins – they now glide gracefully across the palate.HK$1,015.00 -
Susan Hulme MW (96)
2019 is shaping up to be a great vintage in Barolo and this Pio Cesare Barolo is a delightful example. The 2019 Pio Cesare Barolo has a very immediate and appealing nose..it has a beautiful, melting texture and super refined, perfectly ripe tannins. It is a classic Barolo in the old tradition of blending grapes from several different vineyard sites, in this case, three vineyards in Serralunga (Ornato, La Serra and Briccolina) as well as sites in La Morra, Grinzane Cavour, Novello and Monforte. Among the sweet red fruit and spice is a little twist of iron and a distinctive mineral note which evokes the Ornato vineyard and adds an extra dimension. This 2019 Barolo has such an appealing, outgoing and charming personality but also the power to last. I particularly like the transformation that has taken place with the tannins – they now glide gracefully across the palate.HK$2,110.00 -
(1x75cl) NVHK$1,040.00 -
James Suckling (97)
Really attractive blue fruit and flowers with hints of minerals. Full-bodied, very tight and sexy with super fine tannins, at the same time. A structured and racy young wine. Better after 2021.HK$12,105.00 -
Vinous (95)
The 2017 Barolo Mosconi is a beautiful, translucent wine that expresses too much of the best this site has to offer. Iron, dried herbs, chalk and white pepper give the Mosconi its signature aromatic profile. Pio Cesare's Mosconi is the proverbial iron fist in a velvet glove. It's mid-weight structure and light (even for Nebbiolo) color can be deceiving. There is certainly plenty of punch here.HK$2,935.00 -
Vinous (95)
The 2018 Barolo Mosconi is superb. It offers up a complex mélange of rose petal, dried herbs, iron, graphite, smoke, incense, scorched earth and blood orange, capturing all the complexity that makes the best Barolos from this site so compelling. Powerful and deep, yet also quite elegant, the 2018 is another fine Barolo from an estate that has undergone a pretty significant stylistic shift over the last handful of years.HK$2,620.00 -
(1x150cl) 2019HK$1,760.00 -
HK$2,775.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
With fruit from Montforte d'Alba, the Pio Cesare 2020 Barolo Mosconi was first produced in 2015. Although the winery team has more than five years of experience with Mosconi, Cesare Benvenuto tells me that there was a steep learning curve with this wine. Mosconi is 300 meters removed from Ornato; however, the results are quite different, especially in terms of the mouthfeel. Mosconi shows silky or velvety tannins, and Ornato is more structured. This wine is lifted in terms of aromas, with bright raspberry and blue flowers. It reveals an open but translucent quality that gives this Barolo an especially elegant and undertone personality. Production is 6,900 bottles.HK$3,190.00 -
James Suckling (97)
Fabulous nose of milk chocolate, toffee, red fruits, and berries. Complex and ever changing with a massive finish. This does not want to let go, and when you start to think that it does, it keeps going with notes of mushrooms. Amazing wine.HK$7,610.00 -
(6x75cl) 2004Wine Spectator (96)
Very pretty and focused, with lots of subtle aromas, from black cherry to freshly cut flowers. Full-bodied and powerful, with chewy tannins and a long, rich finish. All to come here. Best after 2011. 1,000 cases made. -JSHK$6,220.00 -
Vinous (96+)
The 2010 Barolo Ornato is quite possibly the best wine I have ever tasted from Pio Cesare's hillside site in Serralunga. Exotic, beguiling and constantly changing in the glass, the 2010 Ornato races across the palate with compelling nuance, brightness and energy. Red stone fruits, crushed rocks, orange peel, spices and white pepper all blossom from the glass in an exotic Barolo full of allure. The 2010 captures all of the mystique of what Serralunga is all about. This is a fabulous showing from Pio Boffa and the team at Pio Cesare.HK$1,070.00 -
James Suckling (95)
This is very spicy and fruity one with perfumed and bright aromas. Leather, too. Medium-bodied, refined and layered with beautiful ripe tannins. Fine, polished texture with berry and walnut undertones. Drink or hold.HK$3,790.00 -
James Suckling (98)
The aromas are so complex yet subtle wtih wet earth, mushrooms and dark fruits. Dried flowers as well. Full body, chewy tannins that are ultra-fine and powerful, yet there is a finesse and beauty to them as I said from barrel. Classic, great nebbiolo. Try in 2023.HK$3,800.00 -
James Suckling (98)
The blue fruit and freshness are impressive here. At the same time, there’s richness and focus with ripe fruit. Yet, it remains cool and bright. Superb center palate with great fruit and depth, but compact and focused. Needs three or four years to come together. Better after 2021.HK$1,650.00 -
James Suckling (98)
The blue fruit and freshness are impressive here. At the same time, there’s richness and focus with ripe fruit. Yet, it remains cool and bright. Superb center palate with great fruit and depth, but compact and focused. Needs three or four years to come together. Better after 2021.HK$4,465.00 -
James Suckling (98)
Extremely perfumed with dark berries, cherries, strawberries and crushed stones. Full-bodied with chewy, polished tannins that are muscular. Fantastic structure to this young Barolo, as well as great length. It grows on the palate with ease. Truly impressive. Incredible. Try after 2025.HK$1,785.00 -
James Suckling (98)
Extremely perfumed with dark berries, cherries, strawberries and crushed stones. Full-bodied with chewy, polished tannins that are muscular. Fantastic structure to this young Barolo, as well as great length. It grows on the palate with ease. Truly impressive. Incredible. Try after 2025.HK$5,035.00 -
Vinous (94)
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.HK$1,900.00 -
Vinous (94)
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.HK$9,255.00 -
Vinous (94)
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.HK$4,730.00 -
HK$1,680.00 -
HK$5,035.00 -
Wine Advocate (95)
The most powerful of the bunch is the Pio Cesare 2020 Barolo Ornato. This is a structured wine with firm tannins and dense fruit that falls on the darker side of the spectrum with blackberry and damson plum. You also get that typical Serralunga d'Alba imprint of rusty mineral and dark licorice. The wine is quite ample in terms of volume and depth, and iy's definitely reflective of its territory of origin. Production is 12,325 bottles, and larger formats were also made.HK$1,270.00 -
Vinous (95)
The 2012 Barolo Bussia Dardi Le Rose is another fabulous wine from Poderi Colla. Deep, layered and quite giving at the moment, the 2012 has more than enough depth to drink well for many years to come. It is perhaps not as pedigreed as the 2013 tasted alongside it, but it is very, very close. In fact, this is one of the highlights of the vintage.HK$2,005.00 -
Vinous (96)
Colla's 2013 Barolo Bussia Dardi Le Rose is a knock-out. Intensely sweet and perfumed, the 2013 reminds me of some of the most profound Barolos and Barbarescos I have tasted. Ripe red cherry, pipe tobacco, mint, dried rose petal, orange peel and anise are some of the endless nuances that seem to develop in the glass. The 2013 is a wine of depth, pedigree and class. It should provide thrilling drinking for a number of years. This is a regal wine in every way. Don't miss it.HK$2,165.00
Known as the king of wines, it is potent, complex and long-lived wine made from the Nebbiolo grape. The appellation is spread over 2,134 ha in total and consists of several villages and communes. divided into a multitude of individual vineyard sites and crus similar to Burgundy, with many producers owning small plots of the individual crus.
The main winemaking approach is a long maceration of Nebbiolo grapes - between 30 to 60 days -followed by a long maturation period in large old casks for a minimum of 38 months. And many producers often choose to age their wines even longer than this because of the intense fruit and powerful tannins of their grapes.
The combination of microclimate, altitude, soil, exposition and each winemaker’s individual touch is what makes every Barolo different. And in the main communes such as Serralunga, Castiglione Falletto, and La Morra, their Barolos are renowned for certain characteristics unique to each of them, due to their differing soils and exposition.

