May 1, 2021 by Tom Maresca
Below is an article on the passing of Pio Boffa of Pio Cesare wines by Tom Maresca. Like Tom, I knew Pio for almost 40 years and on a number of occasions Tom and I would visit him in Alba or see him in NYC. I remember Pio telling me that he enjoyed visiting New York because he was able to get more business done over breakfast here than in a month in Italy. Michele and I will always remember having dinner at his home in Piedmont outside of Alba. Many of the dishes were topped with white truffles, which we savored. But Pio said that he was sorry we could not stay longer because the truffles would be even better in a week or two. We were, too.
Here is my friend Tom Maresca’s tribute to Pio Cesare. I could not express me feelings better.
Tom’s Wine Line. http://www.Ubriaco.wordpress.com
Another melancholy post, another great loss to the Italian wine world. Just a few weeks ago, Pio Boffa, the owner and driving force of the Pio Cesare winery, died of Covid. He was a very young and lively 66, and his totally unexpected death came as a great shock to everyone who knew him.
Some of my colleagues have already posted fine memorials of Pio, notably Alfonso Cevola and Tom Hyland, but I needed a little time to adjust to his departure. I will keep this contribution short and personal.
Pio was one of those people you couldn’t imagine ill, much less deathly ill. It had never occurred to me that I might outlive him. He seemed to have inexhaustible founts of energy. He ran the winery with constant attention to seemingly everything. He travelled frequently (some of us thought continuously) non-stop to all parts of the world, creating or strengthening markets for Piedmont wines wherever he went. He would step off a plane from Hong Kong one evening, return to Alba in the morning, and host a tasting dinner for journalists and retailers that day, all with apparently undiminished energy and a genuine and infectious enthusiasm.
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I’ve known Pio for more than 40 years. We regarded each other as friends – but then, almost everyone who dealt with Pio for more than ten minutes regarded him as a friend: he was simply that kind of guy. He was deeply Piedmontese in character, so much so that, for instance, the Pio Cesare winery remained faithful to some no-longer-fashionable wines, like Grignolino, of which it must be the last important producer. (If you don’t know Grignolino, you should: It’s a whole other face of the Piedmont, and Pio’s version of it is lovely.)
For all that, I thought of Pio as one of the most Americanized of all the Italian producers I knew. He had a kind of directness that isn’t all that common among winemakers (or anyone else with a product to sell). I loved to interview him about vintages and cellar techniques and the sorts of things that the Consorzio and other winemakers usually gave you very careful, very guarded answers to. Pio just told you the truth as he saw it: he was a no-bullshit guy. Whether that’s typically American, typically Piedmontese, or atypical of both, I’m not sure.
Some early, formative years in California – I believe working with Robert Mondavi – influenced him importantly. He retained from that experience a life-long love of oak, which shows most clearly, I think, in his cru Barolo Ornato, of which he was very proud. For me, with my aversion for wood flavors in wine, it was a subject of frequent disagreement with Pio. He would listen to my objections patiently, and equally patiently explain to me why I was wrong. He knew exactly what he was doing with Ornato, and he believed in it passionately, and I usually saw reason (as he phrased it) enough to grant that, except for the oak notes, Ornato was indeed a superb Barolo.
For all his pride in Ornato, Pio was traditionally Piedmontese enough that the wine he probably lavished the most attention on was his classic Barolo – what others were starting to refer to as their base wine, the traditional blending of Nebbiolos from different vineyards and different communes. Not Pio, though: If you click on the label image to enlarge it, you’ll see the bottom line says e non chiamatelo “base” – and don’t call it “base.” He always insisted that it was a classic – as was he.
Addio, Pio.
Panzerotti — Neapolitan potato croquettes, crisp on the outside and filled with melting mozzarella and bits of prosciutto
Pizza Pala — Light and airy crust with tomato, basil and mozzarella, baked in a slab.
Pizza Margarita — Regular Neapolitan style pie 
Pizza Margherita with prosciutto and arugula
Monte di Grazie Rosso 2011 The wine is made from 90% Tintore di Tramonti from very old ungrafted vines and 10% Piedirosso. The Tintore di Tramonti grows almost exclusively in the Monte Lattari Valley. The grape is harvested at the end of September, which makes it an early ripener for this area. This indigenous red grape variety belongs to the Tienturier family. Tienturier means dyed or stained in French. The flesh and the juice of these grapes are red in color. The anthocyanin pigments accumulate in the grape berry itself. The free run juice is therefore red.
We started with Roses de Jeanne Champagne–100% Pinot Noir from the 1.5-hectare lieu-dit of Val Vilaine. The production is very limited. Cedric Bouchard. This is a single-vineyard, single varietal, and single-vintage, zero dosage Champagne, organic farming, low yields and harvesting at the right moment. Only free run juice is used and fermentation is in stainless steel with indigenous yeast. There is no filtering, fining or cold stabilization. The wines are bottled with no dosage under less pressure. This is full-bodied Champagne with hints of fruit, spice, lively acidity a touch of pear, a note of dried flowers and a long and lingering finish.
Deborah made the pizza dough according to her special recipe
Bramaterra 1979 made from 70% Nebbiolo, 20% Croatina and 10% Vespolina. Tenuta Agricola Sella. The production area is in Northern Piedmont. The vines are 48 years old, the exposure is Southwest, the vineyard is at 300 to 350 meters the training system is guyot and the soil is volcanic in origin and reddish brown in color. Harvest takes place between September 22 and October 12. After the grapes are crushed, fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks with pumping over and delestage. There is 30 days maceration for the Nebbiolo and 16 for the Croatina. The wine is aged in 10 hl Slavonian oak casks for 28 months. There were hints of faded roses, leather, blackberries and a hint of spice.
Foccacia — We started with a white pizza sprinkled with sliced garlic and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. It was delicious plain, and possibly even better with thin slices of mortadella or prosciutto on top.
Pizza Margarita — The classic pie and just perfect
Pizza with Pistacchios — After a couple of traditional pizzas, we moved on to some innovative ones, including this one topped with chopped pistachios, shallots and herbs.
Pizza with pastrami, sauteed shallots and cheese. It reminded me of an Alsatian Tarte Flambe’. Some guests added a dab of mustard, but I liked it without.
Chateaneuf-du-Pape 1995 Domaine Du Pegau made from 80% Grenache, 6% Syrah, 4% Mourvèdre and 10% other varieties. The soil is mostly covered with pebbles, clay and limestone mixture tends to iron and sand. There is a manual harvest with no destemming. Natural yeast causes spontaneous fermentation which takes place in concrete tanks. maceration is for 12 days in 50hl old oak casks for 2 years. This is a big complex wine with black ripe fruit, hints of cherries and plums, black pepper, leather and a touch of meat. It was the wine of the afternoon and will last for many more years.
Pizza with salmon. Lightly smoked salmon topped this pie, one of our favorites of the day.
Pizza with sausage and mozzarella — always a crowd pleaser.
Pizza Margarita with bufala mozzarella. Instead of cow’s milk mozzarella, this Margarita was made with bufala cheese.
Barolo Riserva 1964 Giacomo Borgogno and Figli 100% Nebbiolo. The grapes come from three different cru vineyards: Cannubi, Liste and Fossati. The winery is located in the center of the town of Barolo. The wine is aged at least five years in large oak barrels. This is a wine produced with traditional and natural wine making methods. Long fermentation and pumping over by hand takes place. Today the Farinetti family that also owns Eataly owns the winery. I have always had very good luck with older vintages of Borgogno. This is a classic traditional Barolo with hints of red fruit, tar, tobacco, violets, cedar and a touch of balsam.
Banana Cream Pie by Deborah. For dessert, we moved on to another type of pie altogether, an all-American Banana Cream Pie with a graham cracker crust and fresh whipped cream topping.
The pie did not cooperate when cut, so we ate it from bowls with a spoon. Is deconstructed Banana Cream Pie going to be the next big thing? I highly recommend it!
Duck with Green Noodles
Roberto Caporuscio, now the sole owner of Keste Wall Street, was expecting us and made a number of special appetizers to welcome us before we had the pizza. He told us that he had been working on some new dishes during the long months on lockdown. 
We began with Meatballs. Roberto told us this was his mother’s recipe and they were very good, firm textured and meaty. 
Panzerotto, a large fried pocket of dough filled with mozzarella and tomato.
At first I thought this was an arancini or rice ball, but Roberto told us it was a large burrata cheese, rolled in a batter and deep fried. When we cut it open, small balls of mozzarella in cream tumbled out. 
Roberto’s Roman style pizza was crispy and light.
Champagne J. Lassalle Brut Premier Cru 2008 made from 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir The average age of the vines is 50 years and the soil is clay and limestone. Grapes are crushed in a traditional wooden press. The must rests for 12 to 24 hours to allow the juice to settle. Alcoholic fermentation lasts for 8 to 10 days. Malolactic fermentation takes place to soften the acidity. The blend of grapes changes every year. Secondary fermentation is in bottle for 6 to 8 weeks. Bottles are riddled in pupîtres and adjusted a quarter turn at a time for 6 weeks. The wine is aged 10 to 11 years on the lees. It is only made in great years, current vintages are 2007 and 2008. Disgorgement: December 2017 and the dosage is 8g/l. This is an elegant silky, concentrated complex wine with subtle citrus fruit and a long finish and very pleasing after taste. It was drinking very nicely.
The Padrino — Pizza with spicy soppressata, tomatoes and smoked cheese.
Pizza Montanara — the dough for this pizza is fried first, the toppings are added and then it is baked. The result is a light and crispy pie.
La Pastiera, a traditional Springtime dessert from Napoli. This is a ricotta cheesecake made with wheat berries and orange peel. 
Pistachio Gelato — rich and nutty.
Caprese Chocolate cake and ice cream.
Nonna Dora’s homemade focaccia and creamy ricotta arrived at the table.
We drank Chianti Classico Vigna Vecchia Gran Selezione 2016 DOCG Montefili made from 100% Sangiovese from a single vineyard called Vigna Vecchia planted in 1981. The training system is spurred cordon and fermentation is in stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts. The wine is rotated between 30HL and 10HL oak barrels for 26 months and 8 months in bottle before release. This is an elegant wine with red and black fruit aromas and hints of blueberries and cherries and a hint of violets. I visited the winery in 2019 and was very impressed by the wines. They also have half bottles.
We also had homemade panzerotti, like miniature calzones, one was stuffed with mozzarella and tomatoes and the other with scallions and anchovies.
I had a soup of lentils and sausages, which was excellent.
Michele had the fritto misto with artichokes, calamari and shrimp that she really likes.
I had the malloreddus, a Sardinian pasta served with sausage ragu.
Michele had the cavatelli with broccoli rabe and chopped toasted almonds.
A drizzle of the new season extra virgin olive oil completed the dish.
A delicious lemon tart with raspberry sorbet was the finishing touch.
We started with a simple version of Croque Monsieur, a grilled prosciutto and cheese sandwich.
Hermitage 1999 “La Chapelle” Paul Jaboulet Aine made from 100% Syrah planted in a diversity of terroir. The age of the vines is 40 to 60 years. The grapes come down from the slopes of l’Hermitage on small sledges and then are sorted manually and vinified traditionally in the cellars. The final assembly is made during aging in the cellars in wood for 15 to 18 months. During this time the wines are also racked. This is a complex and elegant wine showing no signs of age. It has hints of black fruit, black cherries, spice and leather. It has a long finish and very pleasing aftertaste and is a very impressive wine. It was the perfect companion to the meal because of the depth of the aromas and flavors.
Quail in the pan. Michele braised them with prosciutto, sage and white wine. They were meltingly tender.
Quail in the dish, with roasted Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes.
Dessert was pears poached in white wine with lemon and cinnamon. Topped with a few raspberries.
Café and my favorite red wine and fennel taralli cookies, which always remind me of Rome.
For starters, Michele made crostini with toasted ciabatta bread topped with marinated roasted peppers and shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Pasta ready to serve
Mezze Maniche with cherry tomato sauce and fresh bufala ricotta.
Peppers, onions and potatoes ready for the oven. When partially cooked, Michele add sausages to the pan.
Irpinia Aglianico 2016 “Memini” Az. Ag. Guastaferro made from 100% Aglianico. The wine bursts with sweet ripe fruit flavors of cherry, raspberry, strawberry and pomegranate. It has a wonderful fruit filled finish and a very long aftertaste. It was a very interesting Aglianico and I have never tasted one like this before. Daniele Cernilli (aka Doctor Wine) in his book The Essential Guide to Italian Wine 2020 states: … In 2002 Raffaele Guastaferro inherited 10 hectares from his grandfather with over 100 year old vines trained using the old starseto (pergola Avellinese) method…creating a very interesting style for the wines that were also based on tradition. I liked this wine so much when I had it for Christmas at the home of Tom Maresca and Diana Darrow that I wanted to serve it to my guest.
On the plate
Dessert was simple. Red Wine Cookies and espresso.