NV Pio Cesare Barolo Chinato

Winemaker notes

Little barks of China Calissaja and Succirubra are macerated for 21 days in a small amount of our classic Barolo. We then add a mixture of aromatic herbs, such as gentian roots, rhubarb, cardamom seeds, sweet and bitter orange, cinnamon and others, which all together compose our Family Recipe. Then, after a few weeks of ageing, we add the proper amount of our classic Barolo, a bit of sugar and alcohol.

This infusion is finally aged for at least 4 months in very small stainless-steel tanks. After an additional 2 months of rest in bottle, our Barolo Chinato is ready to be enjoyed in the old “piemontese style”, after the meals as a digestif.

Tasting Notes

Wine Advocate 94: The Pio Cesare NV Barolo Chinato pours from the bottle with a dark amber color with shiny chestnut highlights. This fortified digestif shows amazing purity and intensity, with aromas that you can list and identify clearly one by one. There is balsam and medicinal herb with minty cough syrupy, cola and candied orange peel. With time, you might also sense some Moroccan spice or toasted Spanish cedarwood. The alcohol content is registered at 16% although it surely feels much higher. Balanced sweetness wraps smoothly over the palate. I'm never quite sure how to assign a drinking window to Barolo Chinato, and it is ostensibly built to last forever.

Jeb Dunnuck 94: A rich but transparent amber, the NV Barolo Chinato reveals notes of blood orange, baking spice, mocha, and rosemary, followed by a medium to full-bodied red with sweetness and delicate, attractive bitterness in its hints of tea leaf and orange peel. Lifted and not heavy, it would be perfect paired with chocolate.