Description
“Extraordinary producers of Barolo, Luciano Sandrone and his wife worked at Marchesi di Barolo before acquiring a tiny plot of land outside their native village of Barolo in 1977. Theirs quickly became a cult wine, first with their 1982 and 1985 vintages. Then they made a wine that merited one of the first perfect scores I ever gave a Barolo, the 1990. There is attention to detail in the vineyard and in the winery at every level, and the results are wines that are hybrid creations, paying respect to both progressives and traditionalists.” Robert Parker, The World’s Greatest Wine Estates
“Luciano Sandrone is one of the leading lights in Piedmont. No grower has managed to so brilliantly reconcile modern and traditional approaches in making wines that are soft, supple and approachable when young, but also capable of aging beautifully.” Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate
One of the things least discussed about this famous producer is the quality of their work in the vineyards. Sandrone is truly one of the regional leaders in this area. Firstly, they are organic in a region where organic practice is still very rare. Secondly, Luca Sandrone is a perfectionist (like his brother) and is completely obsessed with the vines he manages. His focus is very much on making the vines stronger, healthier and more resilient rather than the symptomatic approach that is so typical. A great deal of the vineyard work is done by hand with the Estate employing twelve full time workers in the vines alone (for 27 hectares). Luca and Luciano openly reference Burgundy in their approach and seek to harvest only perfectly ripe and perfectly clean fruit. This is one of the keys to the purity and flesh of the wines. Another little known fact is that 30-50% of the fruit is fermented whole bunch with the destemmed portion of the fruit also having a very high percentage of whole berries. Luciano Sandrone remembers well that once upon a time all of the wines of the region were made without destemming. All the maturation occurs in large format oak, 500 litre and beyond, and only a small percentage of this oak is new (10% across the winery). In the cellar the work is very minimal with only wild yeast fermentation and no filtration. The macerations are managed very carefully and the bottling occurs relatively early as Luciano Sandrone wants to capture the finest tannins and as much fruit purity as possible (another key to understanding the wines produced here).
Of course, like all great growers, the main key is the vineyards themselves. There is no doubt that today Sandrone works with a spectacular range of Barolo vineyards. Yes there is the famous Cannubi Boschis, but there are also outstanding Barolo sites in Monforte, Serralunga, Castiglione Falletto, Novello and more in the Barolo township itself, that all feed the Le Vigne cuvee. Little wonder then that this wine now comfortably rivals (and some would argue in certain years eclipses) the Cannubi for quality.
About this wine: Sandrone’s layered, polished Barbera is drawn from four excellent sites: Cascina Pe Mol, (Monforte d’Alba), Ravera and Rocche di San Nicola (in Novello), and Albarella (in Barolo). At between 350 and 450 metres, these are some of the region’s highest, most exposed vineyards, bringing superb freshness and vibrancy to this wine. To balance Barbera’s notable acidity, Sandrone matured the wine in 500-litre tonneaux (40% of which were new). The Estate had special, untoasted barrels made in Burgundy for this cuvée, to ensure the wood impact was as discreet as possible. When the wine is young, some wood shows through on the nose, but it is seriously classy oak. With age, the integration is seamless. As always, there is great class on offer here.
93 points, Jeb Dunnuck “Bottled in the middle of December 2024 and pouring a jeweled magenta/purple hue, the 2023 Barbera D’Alba offers a gorgeous lavender perfume, showing off a youthful note of sweet oak spice that frames the wine with a pretty touch of vanilla and fresh berries. Medium to full-bodied, it offers a polished and silky texture, with lovely ripe purity and a long finish. This beautiful wine will cast a large net for enjoyment over the coming 7-10 years.“
93 points, James Suckling “Vinous and buttery aromas of bright red cherries and flowers. Full-bodied, it displays weight and density with supple fruit, bright black cherry flavors, lifted acidity and ripe, velvety tannins. Drink or hold.”
RRP $96 Our Special Price $ when you buy 6 or more of this wine … LIMITED STOCK.
