Family-owned and operated, Pio Cesare has been producing wines since 1881 in Northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Located in Alba, a major cultural and gastronomical center of the Piedmont, Pio Cesare has established itself as a benchmark producer of one of the world’s greatest winemaking regions. At Pio Cesare, which is today managed by the founder’s great grandson, Pio Boffa, the family produces wine with minimal intervention, thus allowing for a clear expression of the Piedmontese terroir.

Piedmont is nestled between the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea. The confluence of the cold Alpine air with warm maritime moisture creates a misty glow or “nebbia” over the area. Nebbiolo, the great red variety of the region, is named for this condition. Pio Boffa is the fourth generation proprietor of Pio Cesare. His dedication to preserve the individuality of each of the region’s wines dictates his choices in the cellar: short maceration, separate lot fermentation, judicious selection for barrel and large cask aging and bottling schedules determined by the ideal structure of each wine rather than by the demand of the market.

Today, Pio Cesare owns 110 acres of ideal vineyards in Barolo and Barbaresco, including the famed Ornato and Colombaro vineyards in Serralunga d’Alba and the Il Bricco vineyard in Treiso. These large holdings are very unusual for a region, like Burgundy, which is dominated by small family-owned farms.