Barolo DOCG

Producer history

Pio Cesare was founded in 1881 by Cesare Pio, described by the family as "a successful entrepreneur who was inspired to produce a small and select quantity of wines from the hills of Barolo and Barbaresco." The cellar sits in the historic centre of Alba, positioned between the Barolo and Barbaresco zones. Cesare's son Giuseppe Pio inherited a successful winery at the turn of the century and invested in growing its commercial reach. The third generation came through the 1940 marriage of Giuseppe's only daughter Rosy to Giuseppe Boffa, a young and well-known engineer from Alba. Pio Boffa, the fourth generation, shifted the house toward being an estate producer growing family-owned vineyards only, expanding the winery and introducing new wines. He died in April 2021, aged 66, from complications of COVID-19. The fifth generation, his daughter Federica Boffa Pio and his nephew Cesare, now lead the winery with the support of their cousin Augusto.

Signature pairings

• Brasato al Barolo with soft polenta — The classic Piedmontese braise gives the collagen and fat that Nebbiolo's drying tannin needs, and the shared regional logic means the wine's savoury, spiced register lines up with the dish.
• Aged Parmigiano Reggiano and Castelmagno — Hard, crystalline aged cheeses soften firm tannin and pick up the wine's dried-fruit and spice notes; Castelmagno is the local Piedmontese partner.
• Massaman beef curry with potato and peanut (แกงมัสมั่นเนื้อ) — Massaman is the mildest and most aromatic of the Thai curries, and its cinnamon-cardamom spicing and slow-braised beef meet the wine's spice and structure; the coconut fat cushions the tannin. A hotter red or green curry would clash badly.