2024 Pio Cesare L'Altro Chardonnay

The grapes for L'Altro come from various vineyards owned by the family. These are the "Il Bricco" vineyards in Treiso, in the Barbaresco region, "Bossania" in Trezzo Tinella, and "Colombaro" in the Barolo area near Serralunga d'Alba. After harvest, the grapes are fermented in stainless steel vats under controlled temperatures. The aging of the juice occurs separately. The small portion of Sauvignon Blanc is aged in stainless steel vats, and the Chardonnay is aged briefly in barriques, after which the base wines are blended. L'Altro is Italian for "the other." The winery named this wine "L'Altro" to distinguish it from their first Chardonnay ever produced, Piodilei.

The Langhe L'Altro has a bright straw-yellow color in the glass, with a nose of fine citrus, buttery notes, honey, peach, nectarine, and delicious yellow fruit. On the palate, this wine is elegant and juicy, yet beautifully powerful and rich. Ripe, with a touch of Chardonnay butter, it's lively and invigorating. It pairs well with fish dishes, sole in butter sauce, mussels, chicken, salads, and, of course, perfect as an aperitif.

Fun fact: Chardonnay from the upper Piedmont region is becoming increasingly popular. The wines always have a pleasant freshness and are highly recommended in terms of price. Montaribaldi's Stissa is another good example.

ABOUT PIO CESARE

The Pio Cesare estate is one of the region's classic producers. Located in Alba, the "wine capital" of the region, it was founded in 1881 by Cesare Pio. His name has been retained, in reverse, as the name of this trading house and family business. It remains family-owned, headed by Pio Boffa, the founder's great-grandson. He continues the family's work with excellence and has also been responsible for a number of modernizations and changes at this beautiful, traditional company. Pio Cesare has always been a trading house, sourcing grapes under contract from local winegrowers. This is also common practice in this region, which boasts many small winegrowers with small plots of vineyards, who are always willing to sell their grapes to one of the trading houses. In that respect, the region is a bit like Burgundy, with all those different vineyards, each with its own name, divided into small vineyard plots, each owned by a different winegrower.

Pio Boffa decided that owning his own vineyards was beneficial for the quality of his wines. Over the years, he has acquired several vineyards, primarily in the renowned Barolo and Barbaresco regions. His vineyard holdings now encompass 45 hectares and produce some of the estate's finest wines, with a few distinctive vineyard-specific cuvées as highlights. These are only released in good years.

The necessary changes have also been implemented in the winemaking process. A very restrained vinification process has been chosen, leaving the wine as undisturbed as possible, with minimal intervention. Each wine receives the individual treatment best suited to that particular wine, with a shorter or longer fermentation on the skins, sometimes followed by classic aging in Slavonian oak, the traditional wood of the region. This results in wines with classic finesse, balanced and complex, worthy representatives of this unique wine region.

FACT : In the "Attachments" tab, you'll find the official fact sheet for this fine wine. We'll automatically send it to you when you order it. The wine is stored in our climate-controlled Wine Warehouse, and if you pick it up, you'll often receive a nice discount. You'll see your discount immediately when you select "Pick up" at checkout. We're located in Dordrecht, right next to the A16 motorway with ample parking. Click here for our address.

You can read the full wine reviews from Parker, Suckling, Vinous, and Wine Spectator, among others. This is a free service for our customers.

Need advice on finding the perfect wine to pair with your dish? Click here for our exclusive Sommelier. Free for Grand Cru customers.