Winemaker Notes
Mosconi is thought to be one of the true “grand crus” of the commune of Monforte d’Alba, itself one the most prestigious areas within Barolo. Its soils and microclimates allow Nebbiolo to grow exceptionally well and produce styles of Barolo with great structure, incredibly unique and distinctive aromas, and big opulent tannins that are accessible and ripen, silky and rich.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
The aromas of blue fruits such as raspberries and blueberries are so prevalent. Licorice. Crushed stone. Violets. Full-bodied. So classy with ultra-fine tannins that go on forever. Lovely depth of cool and focused fruit. A vivid and thoughtful wine with power and finesse. Classic in the making.
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Wine Enthusiast
Macerated raspberries combine with wild roses and crushed chalk in this evocative wine that captivates from the first sniff. Mixed cherries emerge on the palate, dusted with anise, licorice and savory herbs, wrapping up with superfine tannins that build to an extended finish that I wish would never end.
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Jeb Dunnuck
My favorite of the Pio Cesare wines at this tasting, the 2019 Barolo Mosconi displays great balance in is notes of raspberry liqueur, pressed roses, and blood orange. With fine, ripe tannins and a note of salty mineral earth, it is fresh and persistent with ripe red fruit and orange peel and is long on the palate.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Pio Cesare 2019 Barolo Mosconi (with 6,685 bottles and larger formats on the market) offers the structure and length of Nebbiolo from Monforte d'Alba. You also get a salty mineral tone or rusty iron that frames a core of wild berry and blackcurrant. The Mosconi always appears very linear and direct to me, and that special sharpness is what I like best about this vintage.
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Wine Spectator
Centered on cherry and raspberry fruit, this red is ripe yet vibrant, with a solid underlying structure. Gains depth from iron, licorice and tar notes, while a saline thread emerges on the long, intense finish. Ripe, with a sense of restraint -- an intriguing combination. Best from 2027 through 2045.
Pio Cesare has been producing wine for more than 100 years and through generations. The tradition began in 1881, when Pio Cesare started gathering grapes in his vineyards and purchasing those of some selected and reliable farmers in the hills of Barolo and Barbaresco districts.
At Pio Cesare, there has always been a conviction that great wine can come only from the finest grapes and the winery's output has always been limited through adherence to the highest standards. Pio Cesare limits its production by using only the most mature and healthy grapes. The ripening of the grapes is carefully monitored and the harvest is rigidly controlled with each grape selected by hand.
Today, the estate is managed by Pio Boffa, great-grandson of Pio Cesare. Under his stewardship, the wines of Pio Cesare have become famous throughout the world. Great strides have been made in quality, and single vineyard offerings have dazzled the wine press.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.