E. Pira & Figli — Chiara Boschis · Dolcetto d'Alba, Barbera Superiore, Langhe Nebbiolo

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2023 E. Pira & Figli Dolcetto d'Alba

100% Dolcetto from 3 vineyard sites in Monforte d’Alba: Ravera di Monforte (15-yr-old vines), Le Coste (25-yr-old vines), and Mosconi (50-yr-old vines) 400 meters above sea level on average Clay lime…

$45

E. Pira & Figli Barbera d'Alba Superiore DOC 2022

Crafted by Chiara Boschis, the only woman among the legendary "Barolo Boys" who helped revolutionize Piedmont winemaking with shorter macerations and earlier-drinking styles, this Barbera comes from t…

$58

E. Pira & Figli Langhe Nebbiolo 2022

This Nebbiolo from Chiara Boschis comes from organically farmed vines in the Ravera di Monforte cru in Monforte d'Alba, planted on calcareous clay soils at around 400 meters elevation. The grapes were…

$66

Why we carry them

E. Pira & Figli is one of the most quietly important addresses in Barolo. The estate sits in the commune of Barolo itself and is run by Chiara Boschis, who took over in 1990 and became one of the first women to bottle her own wines in the appellation. The whole lineup is organically farmed, hand-harvested, and produced in small quantities. We carry three bottles from the estate right now: the entry-level Dolcetto d'Alba, the Barbera d'Alba Superiore, and the Langhe Nebbiolo. They're three different ways into the same hands.

Chiara Boschis · 1990 to now

Chiara Boschis grew up in a winemaking family — the Boschis family also owns the Borgogno estate, one of the oldest cellars in Piedmont. In 1990, when the last Pira heir was ready to retire, Chiara — then in her early 30s — bought the E. Pira estate and took over the winemaking herself. At the time, almost no Barolo estates were run by a woman in her own name. She joined the loose circle that the wine press later called the Barolo Boys — a generational cohort that included Elio Altare, Domenico Clerico, Luciano Sandrone, Roberto Voerzio, and Paolo Scavino — and was the only woman among them. The group argued, briefly and loudly, for shorter macerations and French oak in a region that had defaulted to long extractions and large Slavonian botti for decades. By the mid-2000s the dust had settled and most of the producers, Chiara included, had moved back toward a more classical, terroir-first style. The Barbera and Langhe Nebbiolo on our shelf still age in French oak barriques — but they're second- and third-passage barrels, used for breathability, not for flavor.

Organic farming · the same hands across the lineup

The estate is organically farmed: no synthetic herbicides, no chemical fungicides, manual canopy work in the vineyards. Chiara's brother Giorgio Boschis joined the estate in the late 2000s and the two have run it together since — Chiara on the cellar floor, Giorgio on the farming side. What that means in practice for the three bottles on our shelf: the same person who chooses the harvest date for the Barolo is choosing the harvest date for the Dolcetto. The entry-level bottles are not contracted out, not co-packed, not made by an assistant. Same vineyards, same hands, smaller price tag.

2023 Dolcetto d'Alba · $45

100% Dolcetto from three vineyard sites in Monforte d'Alba:

Ravera di Monforte · 15-year-old vines
Le Coste · 25-year-old vines
Mosconi · 50-year-old vines

Average elevation 400 meters, soils clay-limestone marls from the Tertiary period. Fermented and aged in 100% stainless steel with daily punch-downs and pump-overs — no oak, just fruit. Two to four months in bottle before spring release. About 370 cases produced annually. The premier vintage was 1990 — the same year Chiara took over the estate. Drink it with a fennel-and-pork ragu, polenta, or anything mushroom-heavy.

2022 Barbera d'Alba Superiore DOC · $58

100% Barbera from organic vineyards across Monforte d'Alba and Serralunga d'Alba:

Mosconi · Monforte d'Alba — the same cru that gives the estate its Barolo Mosconi
Ravera · Monforte d'Alba
Gabutti · Serralunga d'Alba — colder, more austere terroir

Clay-limestone marl soils at about 350 meters elevation. Stainless ferment + maceration, then aged in second- and third-passage French oak barriques — the Superiore designation requires extra aging, which is why this bottling carries it. Expect violets, fresh blackberry, sweet herbs, and a stony backbone — the producer's notes describe a "pretty, floral perfume" over crushed cassis and wild blackberry. The Serralunga component adds depth and minerality the Barbera-only zones can't reach.

2022 Langhe Nebbiolo · $66

100% Nebbiolo from organically farmed vines in the Ravera di Monforte cru in Monforte d'Alba — the same cru that gives the estate its Barolo Ravera. Calcareous clay soils, ~400 meters elevation, ~15-year-old vines. Mid-October harvest. Fermented in stainless steel, then aged about 14 months in second-passage French oak barriques + roughly 2 more months in bottle before release.

The vineyard rows include the "fasce di rispetto" — the buffer rows bordering neighboring non-organic vineyards, planted to protect the certified parcels from drift. The estate uses that fruit here rather than sending it off-estate.

Tasting notes from the producer: vibrant ruby red with garnet and violet edges, raspberry and wild strawberry on the nose with violet, sandalwood, and a touch of earth. Medium-bodied and silky on the palate. This is the $66 way to taste what a Boschis Nebbiolo does without committing to the Barolo price tier — same fruit, less time in barrel, drinks now.

How to think about it on the shelf

These three bottles are a complete vertical down-shift from the estate's Barolo: same vineyards (Ravera, Mosconi), same farming, same hands, less time in barrel, ready to drink now. If you've had any of the Boschis or Borgogno wines and want to taste what the family is doing every day, this is the row to start with. If you're shopping for a dinner tonight — Dolcetto. If you're shopping for something to age 5 years on a shelf — Langhe Nebbiolo. If you want one bottle that splits the difference — the Barbera Superiore.