2008 Pio Cesare Oltre

It can and has been done! We had this 2008 Pio Cesare Oltre. You might ask, "What is Oltre? I had the same reaction when my husband opened up this bottle and served up a glass. It was inky purple in the glass and packed a lot of acidity. It's Barbera! We know we enjoyed Pio Cesare Barbera, but this Barbera had it's acidity toned down with the addition of Nebbiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot!
While we have decided on which whites to plant (in a few weeks!), we are still undecided about which red variety to plant. We feel that we have done our homework regarding Barbera and think that this variety will be a red that we will plant along with another red variety that we haven't quite decided on as yet. We have been told that Barbera grown in the Sierra Foothills can be very acidic. We think that our night time temperatures in Connecticut will be able to respire some of the acids that is the hallmark of Barbera so we are interested in knowing how Barbera will express itself here. We also think that the addition of Merlot might be the right element to round out the flavors of Barbera and feel that this wine may be the perfect compliment to Italian pastas, Portuguese seafood stews, Paella and pizza! This 2008 Pio Cesare may be the little push we need to order Barbera this winter for planting in the spring of 2015. Yes, it does take that long when ordering custom grafts!