I don’t think there are too many people as generous as Bio Boffa, the “man-in-charge” of the family run and owned wine business, Pio Cesare, one of the top producers located in the heart of Alba. Pio is “a class act” and a well-respected gentlemen in the trade.

The family tree is complex and you need some time to sort it out. Basically there is Pio’s nephew, who takes the lead from Pio, and is his right hand, while Pio’s cousin adds his own charm to the family’s team work.

Standing over his glass window to the old cellars we are impressed by the mix of new and old. Just back from New York, Pio is off to Tokyo for 18 hours, and Lufthansa has just announced a delay due to a strike. He seems a little stressed (understandably) yet manages to arrange for us a grand tour of the winery.

Pio Cesare owns more than 60 hectares of vineyards, located in the most highly rated and exposed areas throughout the wine districts. Within the Barolo region, the “Ornato” vineyard and Barbaresco territory, “Il Bricco” vineyard in Treiso. Operations are under 500,000 bottles so the quality is maintained and the customer service is impeccable.

The cellars are constructed just inside the roman walls of the city and you can see remnants of the great wall and gates of the old city. After the tour of the cellars, one of the oldest in Alba, if not the oldest, dating back to 1881, we begin to taste some wines.

Upstairs in their tasting room we tasted the top wines from 2010, expressive of vintage and certainly elegant fruit with some “sec” on the finish, something they say is a good sign for aging. The wines of Pio Cesare are wonderful and add dimension to an already very interesting visit to the winery.