Barolo Aleste, Luciano Sandrone

Cherry and hibiscus aromas with hints of tar and dried flowers such as roses. Full-bodied and layered, with lots of juicy and rich fruit showing the warmth of the vintage, yet it’s framed with creamy and chewy tannins that give it form and intensity. A very serious and structured 2020.

Enticing scents of woodland berry, camphor and exotic brown spice mingle with a whiff of dog rose on the lovely 2020 Aleste from Sandrone. Structured and loaded with finesse, the savory palate features ripe red cherry, blood orange, star anise and a mineral note recalling rusty nail. It’s firm but elegant, with fine-grained tannins while fresh acidity keeps it impeccably balanced.

The Luciano Sandrone 2020 Barolo Aleste (with 10,000 bottles released) is layered with sweet earth and drunken cherry. It shows seamless integration and a crescendo of intensity that starts with ripe fruit and dovetails into oak elements, licorice, spice and balanced acidity. This wine is very beautiful in terms of mouthfeel, with length and complexity. Aleste is made with fruit from Cannubi Boschis in the village of Barolo. This is the full monty. - Monica Larner

The 2020 Barolo Aleste is a classy, elegant wine that will drink well right out of the gate. Black cherry, plum, mocha, licorice and dark spice resonate beautifully. Soft and succulent, with silky tannins, the 2020 Aleste is a total charmer. - Antonio Galloni

Aleste is a contraction of the names Alessia and Stefano, grandchildren of the late Luciano Sandrone. With fruit from Cannubi Boschis, the 2019 Barolo Aleste shows important richness and structure. This is the proverbial Barolo with a capital B. It reveals thick layers of dark fruit, cherry and spice. It shows sweet tannins and impactful texture. When tasting at the winery, Le Vigne is usually served first, and Aleste comes after that. Both wines promise a very long aging window. - Monica Larner

The 2019 Barolo Aleste is another stellar wine from Sandrone. Like Le Vigne, the Aleste is a tightly wound ball of energy. Dark cherry, mocha, plum, licorice and lavender all race across the palate. This racy, but youthfully austere Barolo has a ton to offer. There's more density and a darker profile than in the Le Vigne, sort of like a soloist to Le Vigne's orchestra. - Antonio Galloni

The nose on the Aleste is beguiling and seductive with aromas of wild red and black fruits, clove, anise, rose and wild herbs. Though generous, the wine is holding back just a tad, asking you to cellar it. Black cherries, oolong tea, wildflowers and sandalwood all show up on the beautifully crafted palate.

Lustrous and just mid ruby. An amplification of Le Vigne of the same vintage. Deep, complex, brooding fruit with saline notes. Fantastic leggerezza combined with substance and energetic acidity. Long, polished and fine tannins. A finely tuned whole that needs more time. - Walter Speller

Made with fruit from Cannubi Boschis, the Luciano Sandrone 2018 Barolo Aleste is plump and ripe, but this wine also shows a more delicate character that is its ace card. The aromas are filigreed and fine with dark fruit, spice and licorice. The effect is integrated, and the wine shows a lovely, softer personality to balance out this mildly concentrated expression. - Monica Larner

Mid Ruby. Great depth, precision and concentration, and vivid acidity framing the youthful raspberry fruit, which still needs to come out further on the palate. Firm but polished tannins. A finely balanced whole that still needs more bottle age. The subtlest of oak notes on the finish. - Walter Speller

The 2018 Barolo Aleste is gorgeous, but also very quite today. There's terrific purity to the dark red/purplish fruit and a good bit of volume too, but readers will have to be patient. Bright acids and firm tannins lend energy. I admire the presence and texture here. The Aleste, from Cannubi Boschis, benefits from a site that can handle moisture. This is nicely done. - Antonio Galloni

Dried red berries and dried flowers, almost tobacco on the nose. Citrus and minty notes add character. Medium-to full-bodied, elegant and silky palate that thickens out with fine, creamy tannins as it progresses. Super texture to this, gently coating the palate. Rather firmer just at the end for now. Really refined and elegant.

Funkelndes Rubinrot mit feinem Granatschimmer. Kompakte Nase mit Noten nach reifen Brombeeren und Zwetschken, im Hintergrund dezent harzige Noten. Rund und geschmeidig in Ansatz und Verlauf, entfaltet sich mit feinmaschigem Tannin, baut sich in vielen Schichten auf, sehr elegant, im Finale saftig.

Lustrous ruby with orange tinges. Elegant and sweetly perfumed nose with underlying richness and only hints of dried cherry and oak. With aeration the oak disappears and iron comes up. Delicious gripping tannins framing succulent cherry fruit. Elegant, fine and hedonistic at the same time. - Walther Speller

The Luciano Sandrone 2016 Barolo Aleste is a very special wine for several reasons. First, we get that exceedingly smooth and seamless quality that we saw in many of the other new releases in this portfolio. This trait sums up the house style. Second, this vintage delivers impeccable intensity that transcends the various fruit, spice, earthy and ethereal components of the bouquet. That equal intensity spread across all parts of the wine is what creates those beautiful transitions. The wine is layered and rich in terms of mouthfeel with a long, fruit and spice-driven finish. The tannins are tucked in at the back, surrounded amply by the wine's textural richness and fruit weight. - Monica Larner

The 2016 Barolo Aleste is ample, creamy and expansive in feel. But more than that, the 2016 stands out for its freshness, persistence and brilliance. In so many vintages, the Aleste (formerly known as Cannubi Boschis) has been rich and powerful in feel, but in 2016, the wine is all about finesse. The red-fruited, floral purity of Nebbiolo comes through beautifully here; I especially admire the wine's translucence. Wow. - Antonio Galloni

This is the second year Aleste is produced instead of Cannubi Boschis, however the grapes are exactly the same. The 2014 Barolo Aleste is named after Luciano Sandrone's grandchildren Alessia and Stefano. The 2014 is still wound up and will require extra time to find its footing. The Sandrone family lost 25% of their fruit production in this challenging harvest. The wine offers fragrant notes of wild cherry and cassis with smoke, crushed stone and candied orange peel. The tannins are firm and textured. It is the palate (more than the nose) that requires more time to soften. - Monica Larner

The 2014 Barolo Aleste is a wine of exquisite finesse and grace. Soft, understated and classy, it is a terrific example of the vintage at its best. Bright red cherry and red plum fruit give the wine its vibrant feel. In 2014, the Aleste is decidedly medium-bodied and restrained, especially compared to recent past vintages. Readers should keep in mind that Aleste is the new name for the Cannubi Boschis Barolo. - Antonio Galloni

Formerly known as Cannubi Boschis, this impressive wine boasts alluring aromas of crushed raspberry, baking spice, chopped mint, violet and woodland berry. The savory elegant palate delivers succulent Marasca cherry, strawberry compote, cinnamon, licorice and a hint of coffee. Fine-grained tannins and bright acidity provide polished support and great balance. - Kerin O'Keefe

Formerly known as Barolo Cannubi Boschis (the last vintage by that name was 2012), the 2013 Barolo Aleste has been renamed to honor the youngest generation of the Sandrone family, Alessia and Stefano. The wine name Aleste takes the first three letters from each grandchild's name. The move represents the culmination of more than 50 harvests completed by this legendary winemaker and his desire to pass on the torch. His grandchildren are at different points in their respective viticulture and enology university studies. Now under a different name, the wine obviously shows the same delicate floral nuances that you get with this wine (fruit from Cannubi is always harvested first). This is a complete and exciting wine with delicate notes of wild berry and smoke backed by licorice and blue flower. - Monica Larner

The 2013 Barolo Aleste is a wine of striking purity and nuance. It is also one of the most finessed, vivid young Barolos I have ever tasted from Sandrone. The translucence of Nebbiolo comes through loud and clear. Freshly cut flowers, mint and finely cut fruit are some of the signatures. This wine has developed beautifully in recent vintages as the oak influence is less than it was just a few years ago. Beams of tannin and bright, salivating acidity add finesse to this translucent, exceptional Barolo. Aleste is the new name Sandrone is using for the Barolo formerly known as Cannubi Boschis. - Antonio Galloni

Glänzendes, sattes Rubin mit feinem Granatschimmer. Einprägsame und dichte Nase, zeigt Noten nach Zwetschken, Granatapfel, Himbeere, dazu etwas Leder und Trüffel. Rund und geschmeidig in Ansatz und Verlauf, zeigt sich sehr ausgewogen,zunächst feine Frucht, öffnet sich dann mit festem Tannin, im Finale salzig, sehr langer Nachhall.

Enticing scents of pressed rose, wild berry, scorched soil, leather and menthol take shape in the glass. The juicy, savory palate doles out red cherry, crushed raspberry, licorice, baking spice and grilled herb alongside ripe, velvety tannins. It's already approachable and will drink well for several more years. - Kerin O'Keefe

The 2012 Barolo Cannubi Boschis is a solid and tighter wine compared to the 2012 Le Vigne. Having said that, it veers close to being too austere and hard-bodied, especially at this young stage of its life. Of Sandrone's two new Barolo releases, this wine definitely needs more time to evolve and soften with extra years of bottle aging. The tannins are more evident and the wine's firm backbone acts to support dark fruit flavors with distant accents of spice, licorice and tobacco. The 2012 Luciano Sandrone wines are very good, but remain far from the amazing heights achieved by this historic winery in the best years. Like many of the wines from this vintage (across the various townships that make up the appellation), they are slightly less expressive and they speak at a lower volume. - Monica Larner

The 2012 Barolo Cannubi Boschis opens with beguiling aromatics redolent of crushed rose petal, spices, mint and new leather. Wonderfully layered and nuanced, especially for the year, the 2012 offers good freshness to match its inviting, supple fruit. I would prefer to drink it sooner rather than later, while its alluring, open-knit personality is on full display. In 2012, the fruit tends towards the redder end of spectrum, unusual for Cannubi Boschis, which usually tends towards darker shades of expression. The 2012 is perfumed, lithe and super-classy from start to finish. - Antonio Galloni