Pio Cesare Fides Barbera d'Alba 2017
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Spectator
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Extremely low yields and a strictest grapes selection. Produced in small quantities. Full body, balance and concentration. Ripe fruit and spicy. Very long life.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
This is a fantastic bottle of barbera from the excellent Mosconi vineyard that shows depth and finesse with compact fruit and polished tannins. It’s full-bodied yet tight and reserved. Extremely long and polished. Wonderful finish. Old vines. Drink or hold.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Starting with this vintage, this wine now shows a vineyard designate on the front label. The 2017 Barbera d'Alba Superiore Fides Vigna Mosconi offers a very specific bouquet that is rooted in dark ripe fruit on the one hand (with blackberry, black cherry, cassis and plum) and distinctive mineral notes on the other hand. It offers dark concentration and smooth intensity in terms of texture. I'd serve it with a steak and frites.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
All Barbera from the Mosconi vineyard in Monforte, the 2017 Barbera Fides Vigna Mosconi is a beautiful, fruity wine offering classy black raspberry, tart plum, violet, and spring flower-like aromas and flavors. Beautifully textured and medium-bodied, with good acidity, this is just a juicy, elegant, fabulous Barbera I’d be thrilled to drink.
-
Wine Spectator
This red is ripe and powerful, with black cherry, earth and tobacco notes allied to a dense structure. The tannins are assertive, yet all the elements come together on the long finish. Drink now through 2024.
Other Vintages
2020-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker
-
Robert
Parker
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker
-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator -
Robert
Parker -
Wine &
Spirits
-
James
Suckling -
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
James
Suckling
-
James
Suckling
-
James
Suckling -
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Spectator
-
Wine
Spectator
-
Robert
Parker
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.
Friendly and approachable, Barbera produces wines in a wide range of styles, from youthful, fresh and fruity to serious, structured and age-worthy. Piedmont is the most famous source of Barbera; those from Asti and Alba garner the most praise. Barbera actually can adapt to many climates and enjoys success in some New World regions. Somm Secret—In the past it wasn’t common or even accepted to age Barbera in oak but today both styles—oaked and unoaked—abound and in fact most Piedmontese producers today produce both styles.
An historic village situated right in between the famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, Alba is also the name for the larger wine region surrounding the village.
In a sense, “Alba” is a catch-all phrase, and includes the declassified Nebbiolo wines made in Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as the Nebbiolo grown just outside of these regions’ borders. In fact, Nebbiolo d’Alba is a softer, less tannic and more fruit-forward wine ready to drink within just a couple years of bottling. It is a great place to start if you want to begin to understand the grape. Likewise, the even broader category of Langhe Nebbiolo offers approachable and value-driven options as well.
Barbera, planted alongside Nebbiolo in the surrounding hills, and referred to as Barbera d’Alba, takes on a more powerful and concentrated personality compared to its counterparts in Asti.
Dolcetto is ubiquitous here and, known as Dolcetto d'Alba, can be found casually served alongside antipasti on the tables of Alba’s cafes and wine bars.
Not surprisingly, given its location, Alba is recognized as one of Italy’s premiere culinary destinations and is the home of the fall truffle fair, which attracts visitors from worldwide every year.