1997 Pio Cesare Barolo

I have always enjoyed the 1997 Pio Cesare Barolo. It was so approachable and beautiful when young and now it drinks with the same richness and character but with much more polished and refined tannins. I opened a bottle last week during VinExpo in Hong Kong with some friends during dinner, and it was a joy to drink. It underlines the beauty of the warm vintage of 1997 in Barolo, and how the wines in general have aged incredibly well despite being so open and luscious when young. It's impressive that about 5,000 cases of the 1997 Pio Cesare Barolo were made and some of the wine is still available at retail in the United States, and at not much more than release price. Buy some if you can find it. The wine was the No. 7 wine in the Top 100 of The Wine Spectator when I worked there.