The Pio Cesare winery is renowned for producing consistently rock solid Piedmont wines vintage after vintage. While they may not have the rock star status of Giuseppe Rinaldi, Bartolo Mascarello or Giacomo Conterno, their wines can be every bit as good. Their Single Vineyard Ornato Barolo has always been one of their stand out wines and now, for the first time, Ornato will be joined by a fabulous new “Grand Cru” in the form of Mosconi.

2015 is the first vintage of this Barolo produced from a vineyard purchased in December 2014 by Pio Boffa in the commune of Monforte d’Alba just a few days before his 60th birthday. With perfect soils and an exceptional micro climate, the Mosconi vineyard yields Nebbiolo fruit capable of making rich, powerful, structured wines with pronounced, opulent tannins from old vines planted in 1947 and 1971. The 2015 Mosconi marks exactly 30 years since the release of Pio Cesare’s first cru Barolo, the Ornato.

Tasting with Cesare Benvenuto (5th generation of the family) in London.

Having already garnered a notable if slightly over-punchy 98/100 from James Suckling, this is nevertheless a noteworthy wine for Piedmont and specifically Barolo collectors to track down and buy for further cellaring.

Pio Cesare Mosconi Single Vineyard Barolo Cru 2015, 14.5 Abv.

A fine pale cherry ruby red, this wine is deceptively intense and expressive and explodes out the glass with real old vine concentration and perfume. There are fine aromatic layers of earthy botte oak, sweet cherry, red bramble berry, grilled herbs, Pastis aniseed, dried rose petals and succulent orange cordial. The palate takes the intensity and concentration up another few levels higher compared to the Pio Cesare Barolo Classic cuvee showing extra layers of sweet baking spices, crystallised cherries and melted black liquorice. Acids are focused, precise and classically bright and the tannins more chalky, mineral, dense and wonderfully textural to balance the fruit concentration and acid lift. With only 5,000 bottles of this wine produced from this individual terroir, this seems a good one to pop in the cellar for 8 to 15+ years ageing.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

UK maiden release price for Mosconi 2015 is circa £120 per bottle compared to Ornato 2015 at £99 per bottle. But it seems to be worth the old vine premium. UK Agent – MMD.