The Il Bricco Vineyard in Treiso

Due to the tireless efforts of diligent owner and winemaker Pio Boffa, Pio Cesare might be the most recognized name in America for Barolo and Barbaresco. Pio keeps an eye on every aspect of the business, especially the vineyards. Pio Cesare assures that only the very finest fruit is produced so that that each wine expresses the individual nature and identity of the vineyard.

Pio answers the question of producing wine in a strictly traditional fashion or a more modern style, by doing both, always starting with the best carefully selected Nebbiolo grapes. The 2004 Barolo and 2004 Barbaresco are made the same way as they have been made at Pio Cesare for well over 100 years. The single vineyard 2004 Barolo Ornato in the village of Seralunga d’Alba and the 2004 Barbaresco Il Bricco in Treiso are made with more modern methods, including shorter macerations and the judicious use of barriques. Both are in prime locations.

Pio Cesare’s headquarters is in old town of Alba. The last time I was there, Pio’s cousin Augusto gave me the archeological tour, pointing out walls and defensive structures in the cellar that were built by the ancient Romans. Later on in the tasting room, Augusto announced that he had discovered something about himself. I said “What’s that?’ He said “I have to admit that I am addicted to Nebbiolo. Whatever is on the table for dinner, the last sip has got to be a Nebbiolo.”

Now that is a sentiment, I completely understand. I am very happy to be able to offer these wines from Pio Cesare. As most of you know, 2004 is a classic superior vintage in Piemonte. These are some of the best wines you will ever own.

Special six pack offer: Three bottles each of the Barolo and Barbaresco for a special price of $389

Special mixed case offer: Six bottles each of the Barolo and Barbaresco for a special price of $735

Special six pack offer: Three bottles each of the Il Bricco and the Ornato for a special price of $750

Special all inclusive mixed case: Three bottles of each of the above four wines for a special price of $1100

Paolo Coppo in his cellar

The Coppo Mondaccione, the premier Freisa of Piedmont, will hopefully stimulate more interest in a grape with a significant untapped potential.” Daniel Thomases, the Wine Advocate

“Achieving high quality is one thing: confirming the prestige earned during all those years of hard work is another. We can safely say this year that the Coppo brothers in Canelli hit the target.” - Gambero Rosso

Roughly translated Mondaccione means “the whole crazy world”. At least that is what I thought until Paolo Coppo told me that the true meaning is a lot racier. That is because in Piemonte, a land filled with impressively steep vineyards, Mondaccione is ridiculously steep and therefore incredibly hard to work. The name comes from the screams of the workers at the end of the day.

Freisa, an ancient grape variety grandfather of Nebbiolo, is kept flourishing by a handful of dedicated producers, none more dedicated than the Coppos. The Mondaccione vineyard is the perfect site for the cultivation of Freisa. There marvelous grapes produce a very rich, complex and unique wine.. Production of Mondaccione is very small and limited to only the oldest vines. For this reason, Coppo no longer offers this wine outside of Europe.with the sole exception of the small allocation we at Federal get every year.

I am really excited about this year’s because the wine is from the truly outstanding 2004 vintage. While the 2004 Coppo Mondaccione is neither a Barolo nor a Barbaresco, its quality stands up to the finest of both.It is a truly amazing wine and I am very happy to be able to offer it. In general terms, this is a wine to be treated the same way as a Barolo. It is slightly less tannic and therefore drinkable sooner. It is, however, a powerful and exotic wine meant for full flavored food and ages very well.

Special six pack: $485

Peter writes,
Everything that is done at Castello di Ama is absolutely top rate, so I was very happy last week to learn that we would be receiving a little more of the 2007 Castello di Ama Rosato. This rose is made from the finest Sangiovese grapes on the estate with the (saignee) process of bleeding off. This yields a full bodied rose with excellent structure. Unlike most dry roses, this one actually ages well. The best part, though, is that this wonderful wine tastes like Tuscany in the spring.

We wrote after the Rose tasting this summer: “The 2007 Castello di Ama Rosato was in a different class. Tasters were very impressed with the combination of complexity, flavor, and balance. This is the one for the dinner on the deck. The Castello di Ama is now Federal’s best selling rose ever.”

Chiara Boschis

Chiara Boschis is an excellent and determined wine grower in the town of Barolo. Her brothers run the classic Borgogno winery. In 1990, she took over management of the E Pira and Figlia winery up the street. Here, she produces two Barolos, both remarkable meldings of traditional and modern styles. Like all of my favorite producers, she firmly believes that great wine is made in the vineyard and producing the absolute best and healthiest grapes is essential.

The production at E Pira is quite small, making these great wines a real treasure to find. This offer is for the 2001 E Pira Barolo Cannubi. This is a classic, complex and elegant single vineyard wine. When reviewed, the most common words you will find from those who describe this wine are “stunning” and “superb”.

On my vist to her this year we tasted a range of her Barolos going back to 1996. They were all amazing . The three that really got my attention were the 2004, the 1996, and the 2001. We talked about this over lunch and also a couple of days later over dinner. She agrees that 2001 is a great vintage and then slyly adds that the top producers in Piemonte only make great wines. I was a bit chagrined, since no more 2001 is available here. Chiara, however, graciously agreed to free up a few cases for us.

The 2001 E Pira Barolo Cannubi is medium to full bodied and very well balanced, with just the right touch of toasty oak. I will start drinking this one in a couple of years and enjoy it for 20 more years after that.

Special six pack: Six bottles of the above for $415 (69.17)