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Luciano Sandrone Nebbiolo d’Alba Valmaggiore 2014

$67.99

SPECIAL 6 PACK BUY. Super fine expression of Nebbiolo reminds me more of Burgundy

Out of stock

Categories: , , , , Product ID: 9994

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.

A precipitous 50% gradient in places, Valmaggiore is planted to a very high 8,000 vines per hectare and the soil here is comprised almost entirely of pure sand littered with fossilised crustaceans (i.e., it is a chalky sand). This soil gifts a remarkably perfumed and elegant expression of Nebbiolo, nothing to do with the more powerful style of wine produced in the clay rich soils of Barolo and Barbaresco. The vineyard is farmed meticulously and organically and a strict sorting occurs each year to reach the level of purity and intensity we see in the wine today. After primary fermentation in tank, the malo and maturation for 12 months occur in is aged French demi-muid (500 litre). The result in 2014 is a brilliant Nebbiolo with lifted red fruit, floral and nettle aromas and flavours, as well as all sorts of spice and some complex leather and pine notes. Luciano Sandrone believes that 2014 is an outstanding year for Nebbiolo if the sorting was strict and the yields low. This is a fabulous advertisement for the vintage. The palate is intense yet graceful and fresh, with bright, pretty, tangy fruit shot through with mineral freshness and silky Nebbiolo tannins. Simply a delicious Nebb that is all class. Bravo!
“Luciano Sandrone’s 2014 Nebbiolo d’Alba Valmaggiore is a terrific drinking wine that offers fresh fruit, pretty balsam intensity and crisp acidity on the close. A bottle like this begs for a wood-oven pizza topped with spicy sausage or wild mushrooms. It exhibits fine tannins and an easy overall approach.” 89 points, Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate #225, Jun 2016

RRP $83  ** SPECIAL 6 PACK BUY .. Only $67.99 when you buy 6 of this wine*

Additional information

Producer

Luciano Sandrone

Region or Country

Barolo, Italy, Piedmont

Variety

Nebbiolo

Vintage

2014

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