2004 Barolo Ornato

Pio Cesare's 2005 and 2004 Barolos were made during a time when the estate favored a more extracted style that, among other things, placed greater reliance on French oak than is the norm today. Most of these wines were more impressive when they were young, but, as a whole, they have not aged as well as I had hoped.

Proprietor Pio Boffa has fashioned some of the finest wines of his career with his 2004 Barbarescos and Barolos. These 2004s are remarkably open even at this early stage. When I asked Boffa if he thought the 2004s would shut down in bottle Boffa responded that it was unlikely because the wines would have already begun to clamp down at this stage if they were indeed headed for a stubborn period. Boffa continued to say he had never seen a vintage with such quality and quantity, echoing a refrain heard throughout Piedmont when discussing the 2004 vintage. Like so many producers, Boffa has backed of the French oak, a move that has benefitted his wines to a huge degree.

On my mid-September visit to Piemonte, Pio Boffa was one of several veterans of the region to be high on the potential of the 2007 vintage, which he thought might turn out to be like 1971 (this producer had brought in everything but his nebbiolo at the time of my visit). "So far, the 2007 wines show correct acidity and ripe tannins; it's as if they ripen in your mouth," he said. Interestingly, Boffa describes 2004 as "very good but not exceptional. " For him, 2001 produced more concentrated, austere, classic nebbiolo wines. Boffa also believes that people will ultimately change their opinions on the '03s in years to come, especially concerning Barolos from Serralunga and Castiglione Falletto, where old vines with deep roots in humid, limestone-rich soil often produced dense and rich wines. On the other hand, the sandy soils of La Morra were trickier, Boffa added. "But so far, global warming has been very positive for our region. It's good for color, for supple tannins, for making wines that are not too astringent. Not long ago, we used to bring in damp fruit in cold weather. Hot, dry weather is a good thing. " But with climate change, he went on, "we're careful now not to overextract. We lower the temperature of the fermentation and we do less post-fermentation maceration. "