25-year-old Federica Boffa Pio is the youngest female top winemaker in Italy. «I was just born under a lucky star,» says the Piedmont native with a laugh. She is not referring to astrology but, in good winemaker fashion, to the vintage of her birth year. 1997 was an exceptionally good year for Barolo; the wines are considered mature and well-structured with real depth. In fact, this can also be said of Federica. The business economist has been running the almost 150-year-old winery for 2 ½ years. She had always known that one day she would take over the family business, but she never expected that day to come so soon... In April 2021, her father Pio Boffa died of complications from Covid-19. There was no time to think about whether she felt ready to take over from him. The business demanded that the then 23-year-old immediately follow in her father's footsteps. Since then, Federica has since mastered this Herculean task with consummate ease. She relies on a well-coordinated team, because the agronomist has been with the company for 20 years and the oenologist has not missed a grape harvest since 1981. She was particularly influenced by her father's advice not to follow short-lived trends, but to trust in finding her own path. Her mission is therefore not to completely revamp Barolo and its image, but to dust it off a little: «Many people believe that Barolo only goes well with party food – but I think it tastes best with fresh bread with a little olive oil and parmesan,» says the dynamic winemaker. We think this refreshing informality suits the time-honoured classic perfectly.
Awards
Robert Parker: 95/100, James Suckling: 94/100