PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Barolo Chinato is a Piedmont tradition: Barolo infused with cinchona (quinine) bark and a secret mix of herbs and spices, served after dinner as a digestif. Pio Cesare has made it since the beginning of its history, following a family recipe handed down from the founder, but stopped in the early 1950s because customers’ tastes were moving toward “liqueur” wines and vermouths with nontraditional flavors. The winery resumed production in 2016, after a 60-year lapse, reviving the recipe that had been safeguarded by Rosy Boffa, the founder’s granddaughter.
The method, in the winery’s words: little barks of China Calissaja and Succirubra are macerated for 21 days in a small amount of Pio Cesare’s classic Barolo. Then “a mixture of aromatic herbs, such as gentian roots, rhubarb, cardamom seeds, sweet and bitter orange, cinnamon and others” is added, which “all together compose our Family Recipe.” After a few weeks of aging, the proper amount of Barolo, a bit of sugar, and alcohol are added, and the blend rests four months in oak, is bottled, and rests at least two more months. It’s 16% ABV. In local tradition, each family keeps a few ingredients of the recipe secret.
The Wine Advocate scored it 94 Points: “The Pio Cesare NV Barolo Chinato pours from the bottle with a dark amber color with shiny chestnut highlights. There is balsam and medicinal herb with minty cough syrupy, cola and candied orange peel. With time, you might also sense some Moroccan spice or toasted Spanish cedarwood. The alcohol content is registered at 16% although it surely feels much higher. Balanced sweetness wraps smoothly over the palate.” Wine & Spirits scored it 91. Another critic describes a “profusely aromatic nose of citrus and dates and an elegant, creamy palate with woodsy, herbal notes and flavors that evoke spiced English Christmas cake with dried red cherries.” Jamie Goode of Wine Anorak found it “sweet and spicy and really intense with some medicine notes as well as complex herbs. Very stylish,” and noted it is “supposed to be drunk at the end of the meal as a digestive.” An earlier Wine Advocate review (91) described it as “the perfect after-dinner drink with the alcohol and the medicinal flavors to wash the palate clean after a long meal.”
It’s an unusual, rewarding bottle for customers who like amaro, vermouth, or Port: serve it in small pours, lightly chilled at 12-14°C, with chocolate, aged cheeses, or on its own. It also works in cocktails as a bittersweet, spiced modifier.
Pio Cesare NV Barolo Chinato is produced by Pio Cesare in Barolo, Piedmont, Italy. Cinchona bark (China Calissaja and Succirubra) is macerated for 21 days in a small amount of Pio Cesare Barolo (Nebbiolo), then blended with gentian root, rhubarb, cardamom, sweet and bitter orange, cinnamon, and other herbs, aged a few weeks, and blended with more Barolo, sugar, and alcohol. It ages 4 months in oak barrels, and rests at least 2 months in bottle before release. 16% ABV, 750ml.
Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate — 94 Points:
“The Pio Cesare NV Barolo Chinato pours from the bottle with a dark amber color with shiny chestnut highlights. There is balsam and medicinal herb with minty cough syrupy, cola and candied orange peel. With time, you might also sense some Moroccan spice or toasted Spanish cedarwood. The alcohol content is registered at 16% although it surely feels much higher. Balanced sweetness wraps smoothly over the palate.”
Wine & Spirits — 91 Points:
“Pio Cesare resumed production of Barolo Chinato in 2016 after a 60-year lapse, resuscitating the family recipe that had been safeguarded by Rosy Boffa, the founder’s granddaughter.”
Jamie Goode, Wine Anorak — 8/10:
“Made with the Barolo 2015 (75%) macerated with different herbs including quinine. Supposed to be drunk at the end of the meal as a digestive. Sweet and spicy and really intense with some medicine notes as well as complex herbs. Very stylish.”
Critic note:
“Medium dark red showing amber on the edge with a profusely aromatic nose of citrus and dates and an elegant, creamy palate with woodsy, herbal notes and flavors that evoke spiced English Christmas cake with dried red cherries.”
Retailer tasting note:
“Heady and ‘medicinal’ in the best way, bursting with minty balsam, cola, and candied orange peel alongside Moroccan spices like cinnamon and cardamom. On the palate, it is rich and velvety, balancing sweet Christmas cake flavors with the characteristic bitter grip of tree bark and tea leaf. The finish is remarkably long and warming.”
Nose
Dark amber with chestnut highlights. Balsam, medicinal herb, cola, and candied orange peel, with cinnamon, cardamom, Moroccan spice, and cedarwood.
Palate
Rich, velvety, and sweet, with spiced Christmas cake, dried red cherry, and mocha, balanced by the bitter grip of bark and tea leaf.
Finish
Long and warming, with a dry, bitterish herbal persistence.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Style | Barolo Chinato — Aromatized (Quinine) Wine |
| Base | Barolo (Nebbiolo), infused with cinchona bark and herbs |
| Botanicals | China Calissaja & Succirubra bark, gentian, rhubarb, cardamom, orange, cinnamon |
| Aging | 4 months in oak + 2+ months in bottle |
| Producer | Pio Cesare — Barolo, Piedmont |
| ABV | 16% |
| History | Made since the winery’s founding; halted in the 1950s; revived in 2016 |
| Critics | Wine Advocate 94 · Wine & Spirits 91 · Wine Anorak 8/10 |
| Style / Identity | A rich, bittersweet, spiced Piedmontese digestif |
| Aromas & Flavors | Blood orange, baking spice, cola, candied orange peel, cinnamon, tea leaf |
| Serving Temperature | 12–14°C |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
Serve in small pours at 12-14°C, in a small goblet, at the end of the meal.
Bottle Size: All bottles are 750ML/700ML unless otherwise noted.
21 and Over: Adult Signature Required
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