Luciano Sandrone Dolcetto d’Alba 2019
$38.99
SPECIAL 6 BOTTLE OR MORE BUY – Wonderfully bright, perfumed and juicy. Don’t miss it.
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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.
Sandrone’s Dolcetto has earned its place at this varietal’s top table. In his seminal book, Barolo to Valpolicella, Nicolas Belfrage describes the Sandrone Dolcetto as a “mouthful of sheer fruit, but with guts.” That book was last published in 2004, and the wine has only improved since then. The beauty of this atypical bottling lies in its purity, fine tannins, texture and balance that can only come with perfectly ripe fruit. The wine’s superb freshness is a product of the four, high altitude, vineyards from which it derives. From estate vineyards in Monforte d’Alba, Sandrone draws from Castelletto and Cascina Pe Mol. The latter sits at the top of the ridge leading from Monforte d’Alba to the hamlet of Perno and is among the highest vineyards in the region. In Novello, the fruit comes from Rocche di San Nicola and the whitish marls of Ravera where the easterly exposure contributes perfume and aromatic complexity. Joining these sites now is Barolo fruit from Rivassi and Crosia. The wine is made without any wood contact, only natural yeasts, and each parcel is vinified separately before blending.
From the winery about the 2018 vintage: “2018 began good precipitation that continued into April, complicating the final vineyard work somewhat, and resulting in a slightly later bud break. Temperatures rose considerably from mid-July on, and a long period of constant fine weather helped the grapes to ripen without the harvest needing to be brought forward. Harvest took place from September 12th until 29th, Dolcetto was the first red varietal to be picked, and it is showing an average sugar content. “
The 2019 really is a surprising wine (in the best sense!) that shows a significant evolution in style. It’s a super-fine, autumnal-noted wine with characters that you might more readily associate with Nebbiolo (dark cherry, menthol, forest floor, florals, pan juices and almond oil) than Dolcetto. Really classical in both its flavour spectrum and structure (there are plenty of fine tannins) this is a wonderful Piemontese red that is already superb drinking. It will be a revelation for lovers of classic Piemontese reds.
Reviews of 2018 :
90 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous “The 2018 Dolcetto d’Alba is elegant, super-refined and all class. The 2018 shows all the richness that is typical of the Sandrone Dolcetto, but in a more slender style that is actually very appealing. There is plenty of varietal character in the dark fruit, spice and licorice flavors, but the 2018 is more about persistence than size. I loved it.”
90 points, Wine Advocate – “The Luciano Sandrone 2018 Dolcetto d’Alba has fleshed out over the past 12 months. It offers a generous disposition with blackberry, plum and dried cherry. This vintage has produced tight and streamlined results overall, but the fruit wraps over the palate in rich, pleasurable layers. The blend of fruit used here comes from Monforte d’Alba (Pe Mol and Castelletto), Novello (Ravera and Rocche di San Nicola) and Barolo (Rivassi).”
Only a perfectionist estate could produce a wine of this level from Dolcetto. Don’t miss it.
RRP $49 Our Special 6 bottle or more buy… $38.99
Additional information
Producer | Luciano Sandrone |
---|---|
Region or Country | Barolo, Italy, Piedmont |
Variety | Dolcetto |
Vintage | 2019 |
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