Without question someone who deserves credit as one of the first to widely promote the wines of Barolo is Cesare Pio. A successful businessman, he purchased land and vineyards in what is now the Serralunga... Read More

Without question someone who deserves credit as one of the first to widely promote the wines of Barolo is Cesare Pio. A successful businessman, he purchased land and vineyards in what is now the Serralunga d’Alba subzone in 1881 and began making wine for his friends and family.

The winery expanded quickly and by the turn of the century Cesare was spending many months on the road, travelling throughout Europe to promote Barolo to anyone he could gain an audience with. His son Giuseppe further expanded the winery and subsequent generations continued the tradition of expansion and global promotion.

Fast forward 100 years and by the 1990’s Pio Cesare was easily one of the most recognizable and successful wineries in Piedmont, with their wine being poured in restaurants and luxury hotels all over the world. At about the same time the winery began to embrace “modernism” with gusto.

The trend of heavy extraction and new oak is fading now, which is great news for those of us who like the old-school approach! Of course, the straight Barolo Classico has always been traditional, but the single vineyard bottlings are now also shedding the richness and oak spice of the last 20 years and allowing the glorious terroir of Serralunga d’Alba to shine through.