Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne 2020 1500ml Magnum
A blend of several small parcels of vines from several communes, Le Vigne is Sandrone’s ode to the classic Barolo-wide blend that was once the norm. All the sites that contribute to Le Vigne are markedly different from each other in terms of altitude, soil and exposure, and together provide a broad overview of Barolo in a given year. 2020 was the second year to include Nebbiolo from Sandrone’s new holding in Le Coste di Monforte. Sandrone has been farming this Monforte d’Alba site since 2000. So, from this vintage, Le Vigne includes fruit from five communes: Barolo, Serralunga d’Alba, Novello, Castiglione Falletto and Monforte d’Alba.
The fruit ferments spontaneously in tank before malolactic fermentation and aging in mainly used 500-litre French oak casks. Like Aleste, approximately 20-30% of the grapes ferment as bunches, with a very high percentage of whole berries in the destemmed portion (thanks to a state-of-the-art destemmer). The macerations are managed very carefully, and the bottling occurs relatively early as Luca Sandrone wants to capture the finest tannins and as much fruit purity as possible (another key to understanding the wines produced here). So, time on skins varied from 15 days to up to three weeks. Total time in oak was 20-22 months, and the wine was, as always, bottled unfiltered.
It’s hard to remember a time when a young Le Vigne tasted so alluring out of the gates. It is fresh, translucent and totally inviting from the off, with sweet red berries, strawberry, dried orange and cedar woven throughout a finely sculpted palate framed by ripe, chalky tannins. It’s a knockout Le Vigne.
“The compelling Sandrone 2020 Le Vigne opens with delicate but alluring scents of violet, rose, wild berry and aromatic herb. Reflecting the nose, the savory, elegant palate delivers juicy Morello cherry, strawberry compote, star anise and cake spice alongside a backbone of taut, velvety tannins.” 96 points Kerin O'Keefe, kerinokeefe.com
“The Luciano Sandrone 2020 Barolo Le Vigne is open-knit in texture with sun-drenched aromas. You get ripe fruit with black cherry, blackcurrant, forest floor and wild mushroom. With time in the glass, the wine reveals floral definition, grilled tarragon herb and a heavier note of wheat biscuit. Starting with the 2019 vintage, Le Vigne also includes Le Coste di Monforte fruit along with fruit from Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba, Villero in Castiglione Falletto, Vignane in Barolo and Merli in Novello.” 95 points, Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate.
“The 2020 Barolo Le Vigne is graced with brilliant aromatic intensity and plenty of depth. Crushed rose petal, mint, blood orange, spice, lavender and pomegranate all meld together. Le Vigne has a bit more aromatic vibrancy and verve than the Aleste, but shares a general feeling of openness with its sibling.” 94 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous.
“Lustrous deep ruby. Seductive nose of red fruit with a note of oak perfectly aligned with the fruit. Succulent and at the same time youthful and fresh. Firm tannins giving the fruit its spine. Long and succulent, but the tannins need more time to integrate.” 17.5 points, Walter Speller, JancisRobinson.com.
