Barolo Le Vigne, Luciano Sandrone

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.

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. - Monica Larner

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. - Antonio Galloni

The 2019 Barolo Le Vigne is a historic blend of fruit from Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba, Villero in Castiglione Falletto, Vignane in Barolo and Merli in Novello. This year, a fifth site was added to the final blend. It is the Le Coste MGA in Barolo with south-facing exposures and 45-year-old vines in a two-hectare parcel. The backbone of this wine is Baudana, and Merli adds freshness. The wine needs more time in bottle, but already it proves generous and bold with dark fruit, spice and crushed mineral. - Monica Larner

The 2019 Barolo Le Vigne is pure and total seduction. Kirsch, sweet pipe tobacco, mint, cedar, dried herbs and orange peel all grace a Le Vigne built on mid-weight structure and energy. There is a feeling of youthful classicism and austerity that is so beguiling. Readers should plan on being patient, though. The 2019 won't be ready to drink anytime soon, but there is enough fruit to make me think it will be superb, in time. - Antonio Galloni

This wine begins shy but turns it out quickly with aromas of warmed cherries, fresh wildflowers, anise, clove and black tea. The balanced palate reveals a core of fruit with savory and earthy elements in support, all resting on a foundation of polished tannins and vibrant acidity.

Still a little closed but with a clear mineral, savoury undertow and just a touch of oak. Very youthful fruit pushed by plenty of lively acidity and lots of coating tannins, but the balance is perfectly hit. Closes up fast. - Walter Speller

Very aromatic with hibiscus, crab apple, orange blossom, and ripe strawberry on the nose. Full-bodied, very layered and powerful, yet it remains very fine textured with an intense finish. Slightly more structured than before. Perhaps due to the addition of wines from a new vineyard?

Lustrous medium ruby. Finely perfumed and youthful on the nose with just a touch of complex oak. Lively raspberry and sour-cherry fruit layered with fine tannins. Very fine and fragrant and still a little subdued. Lots of refreshing acidity (6.3 g/l). - Walter Speller

The delicate mix of creamy red berries and savory, truffley notes keeps your nose glued to the glass. And that subtlety is carried over into the medium-to full-bodied palate, where there’s a youthful balance of silky fruit and lightly firm tannins that drives gently through the long finish. Subtle is the word, but excellent is the verdict. So tempting to drink now, but give it a couple of years.

One of my personal favorites, the 2018 Barolo Le Vigne is savory in character and packed with dark fruit. Ripe cherry and redcurrant cedes to spice, licorice and fragrant rose. The oak is integrated, but there are added accents of spice and dark tar. Le Vigne is a blend of fruit from Baudana in Serralunga d'Alba, Villero in Castiglione Falletto, Vignane in Barolo and Merli in Novello. - Monica Larmer

The 2018 Barolo Le Vigne is a mid-weight, tightly wound wine, with a classic sense of austerity that will need at least a few years in bottle to start softening. Red cherry fruit, white flowers, mint and chalk lend brightness and tension throughout. In 2018, the blend of vineyards is Baudana, Villero, Vignane and Merli. - Antonio Galloni

Luciano Sandrone and his daughter Barbara tell me that the 2014 harvest needs explaining. Many are quick to dismiss it given the difficulties of the growing season that saw abundant rain, hail and bombe d'acqua, or "water bombs," which are a dangerous phenomenon with intense rainfall in a very small radius. But hard work does pay off. The Sandrone family employed 38 people for farming, when the average harvest requires only 22 pairs of vineyard hands. Great care was required to keep the leaves and the clusters healthy. The 2014 Barolo le Vigne is bright and fruit-forward. It is perhaps more accessible in the near term compared to past editions. It delivers dark fruit nuances over a mid-weight and compact mouthfeel.

The 2014 Barolo Le Vigne once again shows the wisdom of blending fruit from different sites. If there is a vintage where blending has the potential to be the difference-maker, 2014 is it. So it is hardly surprising to find the 2014 Le Vigne in such great shape. The red cherry jam, mint, cedar and floral notes are all finely sketched. Medium in body and classy, the 2014 is beautifully textured and inviting from start to finish. All the elements are simply in the right place. Vineyard sources are Merli, Vignane, Villero and Baudana.

Alluring scents of blue flower, rose petal, woodland berry, baking spice and new leather take center stage along with a balsamic note of menthol. The delicious enveloping palate doles out juicy morello cherry, crushed raspberry, cinnamon and licorice framed in refined tannins and bright acidity. It's polished and already tempting but hold for even more complexity. - Kerin O'Keefe

The 2013 Barolo le Vigne is another stellar achievement from Luciano Sandrone and his family. Since 2010, the blend for this wine has been tweaked just a bit to include more fruit from the Baudana cru in Serralunga d'Alba. This wine shows a ripe and succulent mouthfeel with ample richness and power that drives the wine smoothly over the palate. These darker qualities can be attributed to the Baudana fruit that is known for power and heft. Fruit from the Villero cru in Castiglione Falletto offers delicate perfumes and ethereal elegance. This vineyard site is home to loose, sandy soils. The combination of these two extremes is simply delightful. - Monica Larner

Sandrone's 2013 Barolo Le Vigne is a real stunner. Powerful, ample and deep, the 2013 exudes class from start to finish. The addition of Serralunga fruit in the blend has added depth and structure in all of the wine's dimensions. Dark red cherry, plum, mint, rose petal, tar and licorice build into the huge, voluptuous finish. Readers who can find the 2013 should not hesitate, as it is outrageously beautiful and also one of the clear wines of the vintage. Vineyard sites are Baudana, Villero, Vignane and Merli. - Antonio Galloni

More spice and less leafy maturity than the Marcarini La Serra 2012 just tasted. Still with some red fruit on the nose. Bone, bone dry but the tannins are exceptionally fine and there's still a lot of fruit to balance. Terrific wine. - Julia Harding MW

The 'Le Vigne' is a simply gorgeous wine in this vintage, offering an elegant, refined character along with the freshness and purity you can expect from Sandrone. 'Le Vigne' is sourced from four different vineyards across the region; Vignane (Barolo), Merli (Novello), Baudana (Serralunga d’Alba), and Villero (Castiglione Falletto), all adding their own individual characteristics to the wine. As this slowly opens it releases gorgeous aromatics of fresh strawberry and rose petals along with eucalyptus, spices, minerals and citrus peel accents. This is remarkably structured around silky tannins and demonstrates incredible overall balance and focus leading to the extremely long, tight gripping finish. Today, this only offers a peak of its potential, but the quality Sandrone is known for is already quite evident. Readers should tuck this away for a decade and allow it the time it demands.

Funkelndes, intensives Rubin mit Granatrand. Klare und intensive Nase, nach reifen Kirschen, feine Brombeere, etwas Orangenkompott. Samtig und rund in Ansatz und Verlauf, baut sich in vielen Schichten auf, viel feinmaschiges Tannin, sehr geschliffen, langer Nachhall, ein Hochgenuss!

The Luciano Sandrone 2012 Barolo le Vigne shows the trademark ripeness that I so often identify in this historic product. The bouquet is round and plush with thick layers of dark cherry marmalade, blackberry preserves and dark currant. Beyond those apparent fruit aromas, Le Vigne offers dark spice and licorice with a beautiful menthol signature on the finish. The wine's natural structure is padded by soft tannins and lush fruit consistency. In all, this important wine is less vibrant and distinctive compared to other excellent vintages such as 2008 and 2010. 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

Sandrone’s 2012 Barolo Le Vigne is fresh, delineated and totally inviting. Freshly cut flowers, sweet red berries, mint, orange peel, chalk and white pepper make a strong first impression. Precise and finely sculpted throughout, Le Vigne has a bit more energy and aromatic presence than the Cannubi Boschis, and a touch better balance. - Antonio Galloni