Pio Cesare Mosconi Barolo DOCG - 2016

Produced in very small quantities since the 2015 vintage. Sourced from the last acquisition of 10 hectares at the Mosconi appellation in Monforte d’Alba, made by the 4th generation of our Family, Pio Boffa, for his 60th birthday. Supple, ripe fruit, complexity, soft tannins. May be appreciated immediately, but with a very long life.

Wine Advocate 96+: This is the second vintage released of this new wine from Pio Cesare, and what an elegant treat it is. The 2016 Barolo Mosconi, with fruit from Monforte d'Alba, is a toned and slender wine that shows the inner power and muscle of this corner of the appellation. The bouquet is defined by a pretty mineral note that is backed by wild berry fruit, rose petal and a dusting of crushed stone or tilled earth. I feel the tight tannins of this wine, but I also taste the elegance of the fruit that surrounds them. Only 5,000 bottles were produced. Mosconi is the second single-vineyard Barolo made by this estate after the Ornato was introduced 30 years ago.

James Suckling 97: Really attractive blue fruit and flowers with hints of minerals. Full-bodied, very tight and sexy with super fine tannins, at the same time. A structured and racy young wine. Better after 2021.

Wine Enthusiast 95: Woodland-berry, pine-forest and rose aromas mingle with whiffs of dark spice and menthol. On the full-bodied palate, firm fine-grained tannins accompany juicy Marasca cherry, cranberry and licorice while fresh acidity keeps well balanced. Drink 2024–2036. 

Wine Advocate 96: 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.

James Suckling 98: 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.

Wine Enthusiast 97: 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.

Jeb Dunnuck 96: 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. Drink 2025-2045.