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Cannubi Long Color

News from the Cantina   

March 21, 2014

In This Issue
Upcoming Events
Recent Press
Winter in the Cantina
Tasting Older Vintages
100 points from Galloni!
Current Releases
Sibi et Paucis
Barolo Resting in the Cantina

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Tel: +39.0173.560.023

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Upcoming
Events

 

For more information on tasting events around the world, please go to our "Events" page.  

 

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24 March 2014

 

Eleven Madison Park & GastroMotivo

 

New York City

 

   

Join Eleven Madison Park Chef Daniel Humm and honorees Carlo Petrini (Slow Food Founder) and Alice Waters (Chef and Owner of Chez Panisse in Berkley, CA) for a special dinner to benefit Gastromotivo, which educates young people as chefs and restaurateurs in Rio De Janeiro.

 

 

The Cantina Luciano Sandrone is providing our Barolo Le Vigne 2008 to support this cause. we hope you can attend.

 

For Information and Tickets please click here.

 

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23-25 March, 2014

ProWein

D�sseldorf, Germany

 

Prowein

 

 We will be attending ProWein this year, the premier German-speaking wine event in Dusseldorf. Please come visit us at 

 

HALL 03 - STAND N. 3C88 

 

with the Accademia del Barolo.

 

Barbara, Anna Rech and possibly Luciano will be in attendance. We look forward to seeing you there!

 

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March 29, 2014

 

Copenhagen, Denmark

Sandrone Barolo Masterclass

with Tom Brandis

 

 

Dom Brandis small
 

 

Foredragssalen, Vestergade 28, 1785 Copenhagen, Denmark

 

The owner of our Danish Importer Domaine Brandis leads a Barolo Masterclass on Sandrone with these wines being poured:

 

Barolo Cannubi Boschis 2004

Barolo Cannubi Boschis 2006

Barolo Cannubi Boschis 2008

Barolo Cannubi Boschis 2009

 

Barolo Le Vigne 2004

Barolo Le Vigne 2006

Barolo Le Vigne 2008

Barolo Le Vigne 2009

 

Please click here for information and tickets.

 

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April 5, Saturday

Verona Italy

 

OperaWine

 

  

The 2014 edition of the amazing OperaWine tasting event will be held on Saturday April 5 in the center of Verona in the Palazzo della Gran Guardia on 

Piazza Bra at 16.00.

We are honored to once again be included in the 

 

Finest Italian Wines: 

100 Great Producers 

 

event as organized and chosen by the staffs of  VinItaly and 

The Wine Spectator.

 

We will be pouring our 

2005 Barolo Le Vigne

at this event and we are sure you will find that it is drinking spectacularly!

  

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April 6-7-8-9, 2014

VinItaly

 Verona, Italy

 

Vinitaly 2 

All the world comes to Verona for the VinItaly fair - though we do not participate directly, it is a great event!!

 

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April 11, 2014

Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival

 

Pebble Beach 2014 

 

Barolo 2008:

Modern-Day Classic

 

Join Antonio Galloni as he leads a tasting and seminar on the amazing 2008 Barolo vintage, with our 2008 Le Vigne Barolo being poured. From the program notes: "Join Antonio Galloni, founder of Vinous and former lead critic at The Wine Advocate as he leads us though a comprehensive tasting of gems from Barolo's 2008 vintage. The cool, late-ripening harvest yielded perfumed, racy Barolos that capture the essence of the region and its top vineyard sites."

 

Reservations and information please click here.

 

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May 10-11

Asta del Barolo

 

  

Join the Accademia del Barolo for the Premier spring event in the town of Barolo in the Castello.

 

May 10, Saturday

Cena del Accademia

Dinner with producers and 

current wines

 

May 11, Sunday

Auction of the 

Accademia del Barolo

 

For more information, tickets and reservations, please click here.

 

 

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May 11-16

Nebbiolo Prima

 

Nebb1 2014

Though we do not participate, this is a great educational event for those who can come.

 

Click here for more information.

 

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May 22, 2014

 

Sandrone Winery

Barolo, Italy

 

Giro d'Italia

 

  

 Stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia will pass directly in front of the winery ... where we will be hosting an event with Cicli Mattio to unveil the new Colnago C60 Italia bicycle while we watch the rider swoop by on their way to the finish of this Individual Time Trial in the town center of Barolo.

 

Here at the winery, we will have special commemorative bottles for sale that day, each with a special back label celebrating Italy's greatest Bicycle race.

We'll have the 

2009 Barolo Le Vigne 

in bottle and magnum format, signed by Luciano, Barbara and Luca. We will also have the 

2011 Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d'Alba in bottles with a special back label for the day (unsigned).

 

Cicli Mattio and Freedom to Ride Piedmont will also be hosting and organizing a 5-day riding tour around the Piedmont section of this year's race, which will include the event at our winery. For more information, tickets and reservations, contact Cicli Mattio or Freedom to Ride directly.

Download the pdf sheet here.

 

To just join us for the day, please make an email appointment 

with us.

 

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May 23, 2014

 

Bruges, Belgium

 

 

Barbara Sandrone will be pouring and talking about our wines in person at the tasting with 

Matthys Wine Imports, our importer in Belgium.

 

Our Belgian Importer Frank Matthys will be hosting a tasting of his current import book and will be pouring our wines. This is a great chance to sample the current offerings and learn about wine from Barbara directly!

 

Wines to be poured:

Dolcetto d'Alba 2012

Barbera d'Alba 2011

Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d'Alba 2011

Barolo Le Vinge 2010

 

For information please contact Frank Matthys Wine Imports directly via email or 

telephone: +32 (0)50 38 63 80

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Recent Press



Nov/Dec 2013

93 points

"Deep, bright red. Enticing aromas of blackberry, violet, licorice and bitter chocolate. Then surprisingly round and open-knit in the mouth, offering dense, sweet flavors of red and purple berries and flowers. Distinctly silkier in the early going than the C annubi Boschis, this finishes sweet and long, with pliant tannins. A superb showing. This was the first vintage of Le Vigne to include some Baudana fruit but Sandrone lost his source for Conterni and Ceretta di Monforte."


94 (+?) points

"Good deep red. Perfumed aromas of raspberry, licorice, dried flowers and herbs. Silky on entry, then rich but tight in the middle, with a distinctly darker fruit character than the Cannubi Boschis. Very complex, energetic wine with fresh acidity, serious tannins and a sappy saline quality on the very long finish. A beauty in the making."


92(+?) points

"Good deep, bright red. Aromas and flavors of black cherry, licorice and

menthol are complicated by balsamic and aromatic herb nuances. Then tighter and earthier on the palate than the 2010, showing excellent density and firm but essentially suave tannins. Finishes with excellent persistence. Here's a 2009 Barolo that demands cellaring."


95+ points
"Good deep, bright medium red. Highly complex, very expressive scents of black raspberry, violet, smoke, licorice and espresso, plus an exhilarating whiff of blood orange. Then dense but bound-up on the palate, showing a medicinal licorice quality and modest flesh today, with the wine's powerful spine dominating. But the explosive back-end fruit and outstanding lift and rising length suggest that this brilliantly delineated wine will be a long-lived classic."  
 
91 points
"Bright medium red. Enticing

perfume of raspberry, minerals, tobacco, dried flowers and red licorice are accented by a peppery nuance. C ompellingly sweet and fine-grained, with pungent red raspberry and mineral flavors nicely framed by bright acidity.  Highly aromatic Nebbiolo from light, sandy soil in Roero. Finishes with dusty tannins and lovely lingering perfume. Has the balance to make delicious early drinking."

 
91 points
"Good bright red-ruby. Sexy aromas of violet, licorice, spices, mocha and espresso. Silky, rich and dry, with serious weight and density for Barbera. Combines strong acidity and light tannins. Made with very healthy grapes from a warm  vintage, according to Sandrone."

88 (+?) points
"Good bright, full red. Crushed black cherry, licorice, menthol and

medicinal herbs on the nose. Juicy, herbal and tight, with black cherry and licorice flavors showing a dry edge. I'd hold this until next spring or summer. Sandrone told me that the Dolcetto ripened unevenly in 2012 and that he discarded the dry and overripe berries."

 

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(Austria)

Falstaff  

2009 Barolo Cannubi Boschis: 
97 points
2009 Barolo Le Vigne: 95 points

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(Italy)

Bibenda 2013

2009 Barolo Cannubi Boschis: 
5 Grappoli
2009 Barolo Le Vigne: 
4 Grappoli

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(Italy)

 

ViniBuoni Logo
    
2009 Barolo Cannubi Boschis: 
4 Stars
2009 Barolo Le Vigne: 4 Stars

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(Italy)

 

  
2009 Barolo Cannubi Boschis: 
2 Bicchiere
2009 Barolo Le Vigne: 
2 Bicchiere 

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(Italy) 

 

 
   
2009 Barolo Cannubi Boschis: 
95 points 
2009 Barolo Le Vigne: 
95 Points

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(Italy)


Recommended:
2009 Barolo Cannubi Boschis
2009 Barolo Le Vigne

Recommended "Slow Wine"
2011 Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d'Alba

(Slow Wine Guide does not assign numeric scores)

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Wine Advocate rates 
2009 Barolo

WA Logo

New Wine Advocate reviewer Monica Larner covered 
the 2009 Barolo in 
Issue 207 of the Wine Advocate.

Congrats to Monica on her new position!

95 points
"The 2009 Barolo Le Vigne shows class and pedigree with bright fruit tones carefully wrapped within the wine's elegant texture. The purity and the intensity of the wine are exceptional, especially when compared to other Barolos from this vintage. The bouquet is polished and long, with pristine accents of spice, licorice and anise seed. Made with fruit sourced from various parcels, this wine speaks with a strong and confident tone. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2028."


2009 Barolo Cannubi Boschis:
96+ points.  
"The single-vineyard 2009 Barolo Cannubi Boschis opens with intense focus and sharpness. Beyond its dark color and bold appearance is a stunning embroidery of delicate floral and wild berry aromas. It's easy to recognize each distinct layer: licorice, tar, pressed violets, dried mint, white truffle and wet earth. Silky tannins, long and fine, give the wine structure and longevity. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2030."

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Reviews 2009 Barolo
Reviewer: Kerin O'Keefe: 

WE Logo Long

95 points. 
September 1, 2013
"This is a stunning wine with intense floral scents of iris, violet and rose layered with hints of mint and coffee. The palate is rich and vibrant, with a core of black cherry wrapped in cinnamon and spice. This is superbly balanced, elegant and structured. Enjoyable now, this will also age well."
 
 
94 points. 
September 1, 2013
This rich Barolo shows ripe plum and prune, forest floor and truffle, layered with well-integrated oak, roasted coffee bean, chocolate and licorice. Reflecting the forward character of the vintage, it has very ripe, refined tannins and is already enjoyable.
 
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Revue de Vin Logo  
has included Barbara and the Sandrone Cantina in a recent article on the region. 
 
The article recommended two "tours" and we are included in the pedestrian tour of the village of Barolo. The writers recommend our 2010 Valmaggiore 
as a "do-not-miss" wine.
 
Page 1 of the article here.
Page 2 with itineraries here.
  
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vinous logo

Antonio Galloni has reviewed both 2009 Barolo bottlings and 2011 Valmaggiore in 
These reviews were posted 
May 2013. 

Congrats to Antonio on his new venture!

On the 2009 vintage in general
"I have been following the 2009 Barolos for several years. Tasting patiently, first from barrel, then from bottle. Waiting. Waiting for that spark that all the truly great years have. But it has never happened with the 2009s. I suppose it is only natural. How many great vintages can a region have in a decade? The 2000s have been particularly kind to Piedmont. First the powerful 2001s, then the silky 2004s, the graceful, if a bit light 2005s, the structured 2006s, the opulent 2007s, the classic 2008s and the majestic 2010s. Well, you get the picture. In this context, it is frankly hard to get excited about the 2009 Barolos. Overall, this is a fairly average vintage with many good wines, a few superstars and a bevy of Barolos that will drink well right out of the gate. But the visceral thrill of the truly great vintages, sadly, is not there."

But of our wines, he said:

"The 2009 Sandrone Barolos are fascinating studies in contrasts. I have a slight preference for Le Vigne over the Cannubi Boschis. In challenging vintages, such as 2009, the ability to blend fruit from different sources is a huge advantage, as opposed to pure single-vineyard wines like Cannubi Boschis that remain wedded to the performance of single sites. Sandrone is one of the first producers to bottle, a decision that served him well in maintaining as much freshness as possible in this warm year."
 
93 points.
The 2009 Barolo Le Vigne impresses for its textural finesse and sheer silkiness. Sweet red berries, crushed flowers, spices and mint are all woven together nicely. There is plenty of early appeal in this mid-weight, gracious Barolo from Sandrone. The integration of fruit and tannin is simply masterful. The 2009 may start shutting down a bit in bottle, but it is likely to enjoy a fairly broad window of drinkability. I wouldn't wait too long, however. 
Drinking window: 2017 - 2027

92 points.
An exotic, compelling wine, the 2009 Barolo Cannubi Boschis bursts from the glass with juicy dark plums, cherries, licorice, incense and spices. The 2009 is rich, round and enveloping from start to finish. With time in the glass, the wine's minerality becomes more apparent. The Cannubi Boschis is quite a bit richer and deeper than Le Vigne, with broader shoulders and more overall stuffing. 
Drinking window: 2016 - 2027
 
90 points.
Sandrone's 2011 Nebbiolo d'Alba Valmaggiore graces the palate with savory herbs, dried flowers, red cherries, licorice and mint. Already a touch forward, the 2011 looks to be best suited for drinking over the next handful of years, even if Nebbiolo can be quite deceptively in its ability to hold over long periods of time. Nothing in particular stands out, just the wine's lovely sense of balance and poise. 
Drinking window: 2017 - 2024

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Wine Spectator 

WS Logo Vertical

90 points.

"This red is full of sweet cherry, strawberry and floral aromas and flavors, allied to a vibrant structure. Balanced and focused, with a mouthwatering, spicy finish. Best from 2016 through 2028. 235 cases imported." -BS

90 points
"Coffee, licorice, tar and spice flavors mingle in this rich, firmly structured red. A bit reticent, with a sweet core and dense, dusty tannins on the finish. Best from 2017 through 2030. 450 cases imported." -BS
Greetings!

Today is the first day of spring!

 

The 2013 winemaking is done ... the wines finished malolactic fermentation by the first week of February, the Dolcetto is still in steel and the other wines in tonneaux, gently resting. Finally we were all able to take a bit of a break over the winter holidays, including a short trip to Portugal and Spain to visit some of our cork suppliers (with a quick detour into the Douro Valley to visit a few Port houses). Now we are finishing up the winter pruning and tying down the last fruiting canes for the next year's crop. Early March has been warm and sunny so far which makes the vineyard work amazingly pleasant. All of us have gotten some sun!

 

And ... the first day of spring really means something to us grape growers. Today, in the vines, it was evident that the canes are working, that sap is flowing. The first buds are swelling on the nebbiolo vines, they should break open and the first leaves should appear in the next few days. Finally we can worry less about late freezes (we are certainly not out of the woods, but the first day of spring - there's less to worry about, definitely). We are excited to begin another growing season!

 

Almond Bloss w Cantina
Apricot blossoms with Sandrone winery in back, Spring 2014

 

The new year also gave us an incredible surprise and honor: Antonio Galloni awarded our 2010 Barolo Cannubi Boschis and 2010 Barolo Le Vigne 97+ and 100 points, respectively. We are really thankful to Antonio, who has always understood Luciano's vision for the possibilities of Barolo. You can read the full review as well as Antonio's notes for the vintage below.

 

Prowein and Vinitaly's OperaWine celebration are just around the corner, and we hope to see some of you there ... more info in the "Upcoming Events" space in the left column.  

Luca w Giro Rider
Luca with Giro competitor, 2013

 

Also, on May 22, Stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia will pass right in front of the winery. For this once-in-a-lifetime event, we will host an event with Cicli Mattio and a presentation of the new Colnago C60 bicycle that day; more details in the "Upcoming Events" section at left. As a special treat, we will have special bottles and mags of 2009 Barolo Le Vigne for sale at the winery that day with a back label made expressly for the occasion, and signed by Luciano, Barbara and Luca.

 

As always, we thank you for your continued interest in our wines, and we hope to continue to fulfill your expectations of quality and excellence in the bottle.

 

With warmest regards, 

 

Luciano Sandrone

Barbara Sandrone

Luca Sandrone 

 

 

PS. For those of you that are receiving this the first time, we hope you enjoy our newsletter. We send it out seasonally, four times per year, full of information about the wines, the cantina and vineyards. If you no longer wish to receive future mailings, you may quickly and safely unsubscribe anytime by clicking the "SafeUnsubscribe" button at the end of this newsletter. Rest assured we will never share your personal information with anyone.

 

 

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2013-2014 Winter in the Cantina and Vineyards
Cantina winter 2013
The cantina in January 2013
 
The winter is our quiet time here at the winery. We take a few weeks off between Christmas and Epiphany, and many of our workers leave to visit family as well. The Barolo is a special time when the snow is falling and the vineyards are shrouded in fog.
 
The winter was not a particularly cold one but we had good rain and snow, insuring the groundwater reserves will be replenished. Unlike the 2011-2012 winter, when the area had a sustained period of -18C, this winter's temperatures got as low as -5C, but mostly hovered around the freezing mark. The lower temperatures do not particularly affect the dormant vines, but the colder weather helps kill off insect eggs and bacteria.
 
Particularly good precipitation this winter agurs well if the summer is hot and dry. As our soils here have significant clay in them, rainfall tends to run off quickly, rarely penetrating more than a few centimeters. Snow that melts slowly is particularly good as the slow drip-drip-drip of the melting water tends to penetrate deeply into the soil. The soil is now beginning to reach saturation levels in some naturally damp areas which has lead to ground cracking and landslides, but nothing like the spring of 2009, when whole hillsides collapsed, including parts of our Novello vineyard in Rocche di San Nicola, despite the extensive drainage infrastructure we had designed and built to keep this beautiful, steep vineyard in place.
Cantina spring 2014
Sandrone Winery, March 2014
Over the winter, we spend time outdoors pruning as the weather allows (for a detailed discussion of pruning Nebbiolo vines, please see our March 2012 newsletter in the newsletter archive). The critical thing is to make the cut while the plant is dormant. Cleaning the trellis of last year's vines can be done as conditions allow, while the bending and tying of the new fruiting cane should be done as the weather warms just a little bit, the cane becomes flexible and the sap begins to flow. Counterintuitively, if it is too warm and the cane too active (beginning to bud) ... the cane breaks easily. As this Newsletter goes out we are finishing the last of the tying; the pruning was finished in mid-January and the trellis cleaning was completed last week.
 
In the cellar, malolactic fermentation finished by the first week of February and immediately afterwards we gave the wines a light sulfur treatment to protect them form oxidation. There's been a lot of ink spilled over the virtues of sulfite-free wines the last few years, but we know that it is impossible to make a stable wine that will last for years in bottle after being shipped around the world without some sulfur. Like any food additive, there's a correct amount to use and we strive to use the least possible. For each tonneaux, we measure the sulfur out to the milligram. 
 
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Luca labeling 2014
Luca on the bottling line, January 2014 
 
A big winter job is the bottling of the Barolo, Nebbiolo and Barbera sometime between late December and January. Barolo rules require the aging of the wine for a minimum of 18 months in wood (down from the required 24 before the 2010 vintage) but Luciano has always left his Barolo for a minimum of 24 months in tonneaux (500 liter French oak barrels; not barriques). Once the time in tonneaux is through, Luciano, Barbara and Luca go through an exhaustive tasting and testing process to insure the quality of every individual lot of wine before assembling the wine for bottling in the final big tank and bottling the wine in a single pass from one tank - thus insuring that the first bottle is exactly the same as the last. For a detailed description of the bottling process please see the article "Bottling Winter 2013" in our March 2013 newsletter.
 
This winter we bottled the 2011 Barolo, the 2012 Valmaggiore and the 2012 Barbera. The 2013 Dolcetto will be bottled in July, just before its September release. 
 
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Gruppa Niepoort
On the Douro River: the group at the Niepoort winery: (l-r) Luca Sandrone, Anna, Alan, Ermanno, Michelizio, Lauro, Mario, Barbara Sandrone, Alessia (Barbara's daughter and Luciano's granddaughter; she just began oenological school), and Luciano Sandrone, February 2014.
Luciano Niepoort
Luciano at the Niepoort winery, Portugal
 
By mid-February, work at the cantina had returned to the usual flow as demanded by the seasonal weather changes and we were able to take 4 days off to visit two of our several cork suppliers: Amorim in Portugal (near Oporto) and Parramon in Girona, Spain. We'll be discussing the intricacies of cork manufacturing and what it means to us in a later newsletter - it's an incredibly complicated subject. For us, a highlight was taking a day to visit the Graham's cellar in Gaia, across the river from Oporto, and then driving up the Douro valley to visit Noval and Niepoort near Pinh�o. The Douro is among the world's most beautiful wine regions and we encourage everyone to try it for a visit.
 
More pictures of our trip in Portugal and Spain can be found at the end of the newsletter.

As the weather warms up and the plants begin to grow we get excited for the start of another growing season! More in the next newsletter!
Sandrone fan Noval
Sandrone Family at Noval: (l-r) Luca Sandrone (Luciano's brother), Anna Rech (European Markets Manager for Sandrone), the Noval Vineyards Manager, Barbara Sandrone, Alessia (Barbara's daughter), the Noval Winemaker/Enologist, Luciano Sandrone. 

L, BB, Ale, Parramon
Luciano, Barbara, Alessia:
3 generations of the Sandrone family
at Parramon Cork in Spain
Ale & Luciano Noval
Alessia and her grandfather Luciano at Noval





















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Recent Tastings: Older Vintages from Luciano's Personal Cellar 

 

Once in  while, we open an older bottle to see how it is maturing and developing (but also to enjoy the result of our work!). This section of the Newsletter is to share any recent tasting of older vintages with you.

In February we took the opportunity to check in with two wines from good but not exceptional vintages that are coming up on 18 and 2o years old.

BLV sp bottle-box
(Tasted by Luciano, Luca and Barbara, with others on the staff, February 2014) 

1995 was a difficult but ultimately rewarding vintage that yielded wines of good structure, reticent fruit and moderate cellaring potential. It presaged a string of exceptional vintages after 3 disasters (1991, 1992 and 1994) and one decent vintage (1993). We consider 1995 to be superior to 1993 in general but not in the same league as the string of exceptional vintages that followed: the unyielding, austere 1996s, the opulent 1997s, the enigmatic and delicate 1998s, the muscular, tannic 1999s, the jammy 2000s and the classic 2001s. 
 
Cantina Tasting Note (February 2014)
The 1995 Le Vinge Barolo is still a graceful old lady, personable and winsome, someone who seems to enjoy getting older and does so with exceptional gracefulness. The wine shows lovely dried dark fruits, dried flowers and tarry, truffle aspects that add complexity and grace in the nose. In the mouth, it has delicacy, elegance and length, with underpinnings of dried cranberries and cherries, fresh acidity and delicate, fully resolved tannins. Though still delicious today, the wine exhibits mostly secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors. The drinking window is still open, but slowly closing. Drink up! 
BCB sp bottle-box
 
(Tasted by Luciano and Luca with others on the staff, January 2014)  
 
1993 was a bit of a relief after the disastrous 1991 and 1992 vintages, both marred by rain and cold, and though 1993 is superior to the '91 and '92 wines, even the best 1993s are showing their age and should be drunk up.  The wines were generally tannic early in their life and some have never lost their astringent underpinnings. Both Cannubi and Le Vigne gave us good ripeness that year - Cannubi is from a low, warm site, and the Le Vigne bottling had not yet seen the addition of the high-altitude fruit from Ceretta and Conterni, being made only from Vignane (same altitude and across the valley floor from Cannubi) and Merli (moderate altitude in Novello).
 
Cantina Tasting Note (February 2014)
The 1993 Barolo Cannubi Boschis is coming to the end of its drinking life and we recommend that it should be drunk up. The nose shows dried cherries, dried strawberries, licorice and asphalt, with similar flavors and with an underpinning of earthy forest mushrooms. The wine has a delicate mouthfeel, middle weight and declining intensity, with telltale bricking in the glass and oxidative undertones beginning to show through. 2 of the 3 bottles opened still had a solid (if fading) foundation of dried fruits; the third showed poorly with significant oxidation (all were stored under the same conditions). At a little more than 20 years this wine has had a good run (it was drinking exceptionally well even 4 years ago) but the optimum drinking window has passed. We recommend that readers with this wine still in their collections enjoy the bottles they have. The finish is beginning to dry out and it ends with herbal notes and a slight tannic bite.

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New Year's Surprise: 100 points from Antonio Galloni 
 
In the days before New Year's Eve, Antonio Galloni released a "Barolo 2010 Preview" on his site Vinous. Antonio generally gives high marks to the 2010 vintage (he described it as "majestic" in an earlier article) and singled out our 2010 Barolo Le Vigne as one of his top picks for the vintage. Thank you, Antonio!

 

Antonio Galloni
Antonio Galloni with Sandrone 2010 Barolo Le Vigne on the right. (Click on the image to take you to his website; subscription required) video � vinous media 

 

A few days later, when Antonio published the full reviews of the 2010 Barolo vintage (on Jan. 8), we were completely surprised and humbled to have received 100 points for the 2010 Barolo Le Vigne and 97+ for the 2010 Cannubi Boschis. Thank you, Antonio.

 

2010 Barolo Cannubi Boschis: 97+ points

"Tar, smoke, licorice, incense, blood orange and sweet spices are some of the many notes that emerge from the 2010 Barolo Cannubi Boschis. Today the 2010 is firing on all cylinders. The flavors are broad, rich and ample, with fabulous delineation, energy and class. A creamy, resonant finish laced with exotic floral and citrus notes only adds intrigue in this drop-dead gorgeous Barolo." Drink 2020-2035

 

2010 Barolo Le Vinge: 100 points

"Sandrone's 2010 Barolo Le Vigne is one of the wines of the vintage, hands down. Rich, layered and utterly impeccable, the Le Vigne boasts stunning depth and richness. This is the second year in which Le Vigne includes fruit from Baudana which gives the wine a sense of volume and pure breadth it has never had before. Dried rose petal, tar, mint, wild flowers and cinnamon flow through to the multi-dimensional finish. The 2010 is a blend of fruit from Vignane and Merli, two historic sites for Le Vigne, while Cerretta and Conterni have been replaced by Baudana, a site in Serralunga that confers a level of depth, darkness and masculinity that has not been present in the past. Villero is the next vineyard that will appear in Le Vigne, starting in 2011. In the meantime, readers will not want to miss the 2010 Barolo Le Vigne, an epic achievement from the Sandrone family." Drink 2018-2035

 

Antonio on the 2010 Vintage in General:

"The 2010 vintage in Barolo is shaping up to be a modern-day classic. The cool growing season produced transparent, vibrant Barolos that pulsate with tension, crystalline purity and site-specific nuance.

 

"The 2010 Barolos have all of the attributes of a cool, late-ripening vintage; expressive aromatics, chiseled fruit, plenty of site-specificity and the potential to develop beautifully for years and decades in bottle. At the same time, the wines have gorgeous depth and richness, perhaps a result of the high temperatures in July. Next to the 2008s, which were generally brought in later, the 2010s have a bit less aromatic intensity, more tannic clout and greater overall structure. A number of growers mentioned that the berry size was small in 2010, which explains why the wines have the tannic presence they do. As always, there are a handful of underperforming wines, but they are the exception rather than the rule. In general terms, it is clear the Barolos are more successful than the 2010 Barbarescos, pointing out the need once again to consider each of these two areas individually. The 2010 Barolos are also several notches higher in quality and far more exciting than the 2009s.

 

"Overall, 2010 can be characterized as a vintage with cooler than normal temperatures and a mid-October harvest for Nebbiolo. Total degree days were lower than both 2009 and 2011. Growers reported fairly normal conditions during fruit set, although for some estates rain in early May delayed flowering. June saw quite a bit of rain, but towards the end of the month, after flowering was completed. July was very dry with daytime temperatures at the high end of normal. Evenings were cool throughout the summer months, creating the diurnal temperature swings that are so favorable for gradual, even ripening. October brought with it high amounts of rain. Well-drained sites handled the rain well, but some vineyards were penalized. In a cool, rainy vintage, proper balance in the vineyards and reasonable crop loads were especially critical. Most estates harvested their Nebbiolos around the middle of October, which today is regarded as a normal time frame. By comparison, both 2008 and 2013 were quite a bit later, while 2007 and 2009 were earlier harvests.

 

"Readers who have tasted the 2010s from Tuscany (especially Chianti Classico) and/or the 2010 Red Burgundies will have a very clear idea of the style of the vintage. It is a year that will appeal to classicists, as the wines are translucent and incredibly expressive. Stylistically, the 2010s remind me of the 2004s, but with more mid-palate pliancy and overall depth. Simply put, 2010 is the greatest young Barolo vintage I have tasted in 18 years of visiting the region and a lifetime of buying, cellaring and drinking these wines."

 

(All of this review: copyright 2014 Vinous Media)

 

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Current Releases in the Market 

 

The current wine releases have been in the market worldwide since September:

Bottles dark background

  

Dolcetto d'Alba 2012

Barbera d'Alba 2011

Barolo Cannubi Boschis 2009

Barolo "Le Vigne" 2009

 

Also the three new Sibi e Paucis wines were released in September:

 

Nebbiolo d'Alba "Valmaggiore" Sibi e Paucis 2007 

Barolo Cannubi Boschis Sibi e Paucis 2005 

Barolo Le Vigne Sibi e Paucis 2005 

 

More info on the Sibi e Paucis releases can be found here.

 

Technical data and tasting notes for all wines including historical vintages can be found by following the above links to our website. We will add professional reviews as they become available.

 

Links to your country's importer can be found here.

 

Of course, our most important and eagerly anticipated release are the two Barolo, and we think 2009 is a vintage to relish, one in which nature gave us wines to pleasure, delight and enrapture. While the wine press has made much of the warm growing season, with some journalists claiming that no greatness could emerge from the 2009 conditions, we remember that the vintage and its wines bear many similarities to 2007, which was perhaps one of the most lauded and drinkable vintages of recent memory. Let's just say that those of us working on the ground experienced something different than what might be described in the wine press. Like another undervalued but excellent vintage, we think the 2009s will be similar to the 1998s in development and ageability.

 

Our 2009s are wines to enjoy - the vintage is very different from the steely, unyielding 2008, 2006s or 1999s, but has charm, graciousness and displays a generosity of spirit that is a rare and unique quality in Barolo. We suspect that some vintners were overly aggressive in their summer green harvests which left a distinct lack of freshness when they were thus forced to pick earlier, which led to some of the negative impressions of the vintage. Luca managed the vineyards for a complete vegetative cycle with a long "hang time" which led to perfect, balanced ripeness. Thus we picked well into October - while many of our neighbors were done picking by the last week of September.

 

The 2009 Sandrone Barolos are wines of charm and grace. While they do not have the puckering tannins of the more classically-styled 2008 and 2006s, these are wines that will be enjoyable earlier in their life - probably ready to enjoy at about 5-6 years after the vintage, and should age well for 15+ years afterwards. 

 

At Sandrone, we always make a wine that reflects the conditions of the growing season, and 2009 was definitely warmer in comparison to 2008. 2009 Barolos are wines of generous, forward fruit, with exceptional perfume and aromatic complexity. However, the 2009s also show a bit better freshness and minerality than the highly-regarded 2007s, which we see as a positive development. These are perfect wines to enjoy early in their life, not ones that require long years of patience. 

  

The Valmaggiore area is always somewhat warmer than in the Barolo, as is normal, and the 2011 still shows the opulent fruit from the warm end to the growing season. The fruit had ripened perfectly by the last week of September and we picked parcel-by-parcel under ideal conditions. The first parcels were obviously from the warmest parts: the center and west-facing parts of the bowl, then the east side of the bowl, followed by the edges. The last fruit came in on the 8th of October. 

Luciano VM 2011
Luciano during Valmaggiore 
harvest 2011: an "exceptional vintage" for this personal favorite of Luciano's

 

Luciano says that 2011 is perhaps the best Valmaggiore that he has yet made - the combination of bright, small red fruits and the perfectly balanced and fresh acidity reflect the terroir of the Valmaggiore in a completely transparent way. Indeed, the 2011 vintage gave us a little less color than we are used to but the balance of the aromatics and flavors is simply impeccable. The good acidity will keep this wine drinking well for somewhat longer than usual; Luciano thinks this has 10-15 years of good drinking ahead of it. He considers the wine's transparency and honesty in reflecting the terroir and potential of this site to be exceptional. And it is delicious!!!

 

Our 2011 Barbera is a rich, structured wine, full of deep fruit, with smooth, bracing tannins from the new wood and the characteristic bright acidity of this vine species. Barbera loves heat and sun, and typically does best in hot vintages such as 2003, 2009 and 2011. The fruit on the vine ripened and concentrated beautifully, resulting in a wine that has 4-8 years further ageing potential. The wine spent 12 months in 40% new oak that helped soften the characteristic fresh acid. Fans of structured Barbera (as opposed to the "fruit-bomb" style, which has never been our style) will love this wine and it will go especially well with rich winter dishes such as roasts, polenta and risotto.

 

 

The  2012 Dolcetto d'Alba is simply delightful, if that's not too presumptuous to say. The growing season is reflected perfectly in a generous, open wine of a simple but embracing personality, all fruit and perfume up front, but with good, fresh acidity and a vibrant, racy finish. 

 

Dolcetto Bottle New Release Spotlight: 

 

2012 Dolcetto d'Alba

 

The classic and cool-ish 2012 vintage gave us a midweight, balanced Dolcetto d'Alba. The long and even growing season allowed Dolcetto's considerable tannins to mature and develop as well as to give the resulting wine a bright, fresh acidity. The late July hail affected our Dolcetto plantings in Vergne and Roche di San Niccolo as both are oriented toward the southwest, the direction from which the storms arrived. Thus the quantity we produced was down a little bit. Our usual field sorting and hand selection insured only healthy, undamaged fruit was used for the final wine.

 

Cantina Tasting Notes:

March 21014: The flavors and aromas of black fruits and red berries are dominant, with a foundation of bright acidity with ripe and smooth tannins. The finish is long and dry and brings the fruit and excellent structure to the fore. Drink 2014-2017.

 

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Sibi et Paucis Gold SeP

 

Along with the new current releases, we will release the new group of "Sibi et Paucis" wines in September 2013:

 

2007 Valmaggiore,

2005 Barolo Le Vigne  

2005 Barolo Cannubi Boschis.

 

The Sibi et Paucis program is our library re-release program (not a riserva wine) and more information 

can be found here on our website.

 

Both the regular and Sibi et Paucis bottlings for the 3 Nebbioli: 2007 and 2011 Valmaggiore; 2005 and 2009 Le Vigne; 
2005 and 2009 Cannubi Boschis.

Each newsletter has a spotlight on one of the different Sibi et Paucis releases.

 

Only 1500 bottles of each of the three Nebbiolo-based wines are kept back for the Sibi et Paucis program, and most are allocated to restaurant wine lists. If you see the metallic stamp on a bottle, you know that the wine spent 4 years in Luciano's personal library cellar.

 

Sibi et Paucis Spotlight on  

2007 Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d'Alba

Vm S&P  

2007 was one of the most deceptively difficult growing seasons of late: though the weather was even and warm, and the press has swooned over this ripe & flavorful vintage, we remember best the frighteningly early bud break after a cloudlessly dry, warm winter and the danger of hydric stress throughout the growing season as the vines made their way toward maturity. The winter of 2006-2007 was the warmest and driest in recent memory, and bud break was the first week of March, a full month ahead of normal. Luciano and Luca barely slept that month, so worried were they about the potentially disastrous effects of a spring freeze. Temperatures dipped to 3C on the 5-6-7 of March with snow on the hills of the Alta Langa just a few kilometers away, but our vines escaped unharmed (and Luca and Luciano were able to sleep again!). The warm, even growing season gave us exceptionally ripe fruit and we harvested after a normal vegetative cycle - harvest was a month early, just as bud break had been. Vinification was normal and the wine had finished malolactic fermentation by late November.

  

Cantina Tasting Note:

This Valmaggiore flirts with the bounds of opulence, but thankfully doesn't cross that line, as that's not our style at all. Still, this is a beautiful and approachable Valmaggiore, full of red cherries, raspberries and red currants, with the characteristic undertones of licorice and roses. The flavors are fruit-forward and round, and while there is sufficient acidity to keep the fruit in balance, this is not a taut and muscular wine. It is a medium-bodied Valmaggiore whose tannins are exceptionally sweet, soft and ripe, with excellent persistence and a velvety character. The finish is precise and shows good fruit and mineral notes. (February 2014)

  

From the Critics:

 

WA Logo Wine Advocate: 90 points. 

Sandrone's 2007 Nebbiolo d'Alba Valmaggiore reveals sweet dried roses, cherries, flowers and spices on an expansive, mid-weight frame. Ripe, refined tannins frame the elegant and subtle finish. In 2007 the Valmaggiore shows impeccable balance and tons of class. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2017. 

IWC Logo International Wine Cellar: 91 points 
Medium red. Perfumed aromas of strawberry, raspberry, cranberry, minerals and flowers; a bit pinot-like. Then intensely flavored and perfumed in the mouth, with noteworthy purity to the tart red berry flavors. Finishes with firm, dusty tannins and excellent cut. This is already very sexy nebbiolo but I'd still give it a couple years in the cellar. Sandrone purchased this parcel in 1994 and replanted the vines in 2001 at a density of 9,000 per hectare.  

 

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Barolo resting in the Cantina 
Barrel long shot
Tonneaux in the Ageing Cellar.
Our Barolo spends at least 24 months in wooden casks and per DOCG laws cannot be released until the beginning of the 4th calendar year after the vintage. So there is a good bit of wine down in our cellar! We do not use barriques here at Sandrone, instead Luciano prefers to use tonneaux (500 liter casks of French oak). Also, the Barbera and Valmaggiore spend 12-14 months in wood. We use about 20-25% new wood on the Barolo, 30-50% new wood on the Barbera and only used, neutral casks for the Valmaggiore.

The 2012 Baroli have been in tonneaux for 16 months and are developing nicely. The 2012 Barbera and Nebbiolo Valmaggiore were just bottled in January and will be released in September of 2014. The 2011 Barolo were assembled and bottled in January-February of 2014. The 2010 Barolo were bottled in January 2013 and will be ready for release in September 2014. While it is impossible to talk about what the wines still in wood will specifically taste like when they are released in the future, we would like to tell you a bit about how the Barolo are developing.

Tonneaux
2010: A cool late August and early September gave us a long growing season and the resulting wines should be ones of depth and structure. This vintage bears some similarity to 2006, where power, ripe fruit and potential longevity are combined to an incredible degree, but perhaps 2010 is a bit more austere and will have a longer life ... These are wines to cellar! The wines were in cask for 24 months and were assembled and bottled in January and February of 2013. The early press on 2010 Barolo is impressive and we were especially honored to have earned high marks from Antonio Galloni (see earlier section in the newsletter for his notes on the vintage and our wines). 2010 was also the first vintage where we included a part of the upper Baudana vineyard fruit (in the commune of Serralunga) in the Barolo Le Vigne bottling, and the result is a darker and more structured wine.

2011: The Barolo were in cask for 2 years and were assembled in December 2013 and bottled in January 2014. The warm Cannubi site gave us grapes that embody the best attributes of the season: amazing perfume of strawberries, cherries and fresh roses with beautiful ripe fruit in the mouth. A big surprise is Le Vigne, which has changed somewhat due to a switch of the component vineyards: we gave up our long-term leases on Conterni and Cerretta in the commune of Monforte, and added the Villero vineyard from Castiglione, which adds mid-palate richness and structure, and the Upper Baudana planting from Serralunga, which adds great tannic structure to the wine (a portion of the Baudana fruit was also used in the 2010 Le Vigne). We have very high expectations for this wine, and the addition of the Serralunga fruit should make it even more age-worthy. The wine shows deep, penetrating aromas of black fruits and licorice and has incredible presence in the mouth. This wine truly embodies the old Barolo adage of the "iron fist in the velvet glove."

2012: A long, warm growing season of exceptional quality was the characteristic of this year. The wines show generous and forward fruit but with more structure and tannin than some of the warm recent vintages, thus the 2012s require some patience to reach their peak. Cannubi Boschis, lower in the valley and from a warmer site, gives us a wine of opulence and layers of fruit; Le Vigne, from higher-altitude plots, shows more tightness and structure. In 2012, Luciano made 2 experiments with fruit from various Le Vigne vineyards: a tank vinified with the stems from a plot of exceptionally ripe Nebbiolo and a tank macerated for 4 weeks on the skins. Both of these tanks will be incorporated into the Le Vigne bottling. Luciano's goal with these experiments - as always - is to improve quality, drinkability and more fully express the typicity of Nebbiolo grown in the Barolo. Barbera in 2012 is bright, fruity and very quaffable; Valmaggiore 2012 is a balanced, expressive wine of delicate and elegant aromatics and structure.
VM Nebbiolo 2013
Ripe, healthy Nebbiolo in Valmaggiore, September 2013
 
2013: A difficult, wet and cold spring gave way to sunny and warm conditions a week before flowering, and the ensuing summer was warm but not particularly hot, except for an 8-day heatwave in late July/early August. August was less hot than usual and a 3-day rain the first week of September drastically cooled the area. Uneven weather patterns forced us to carefully pick parcel-by-parcel as grapes reached optimum ripeness. The Dolcetto suffered a bit from the early cool weather but the health of the fruit at picking time was excellent, though alcohol levels will be a half-point lower than usual. Late September and early October gave us warm, sunny days and good picking conditions, and we were able to harvest near-normal quantities of exceptionally balanced, mature Nebbiolo and Barbera. It is too early to talk about specific taste profiles of the new individual wines but Luciano and Luca are very happy with the overall high quality. Malolactic fermentation finished the first week of February and the wines will continue to develop during their time in tonneaux, except for the Dolcetto, which is always aged in steel.

We will keep you updated on the further development of these wines as well as the new 2013 wines.

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A few additional photos from the Douro Valley, Portugal:
Noval vineyards
Vineyards at Noval, Portugal

Niepoort View
Vineyards near Niepoort, Portugal

Niepoort
Lauro at Niepoort, Portugal

BB and Ale
Barbara and Alessia at Niepoort; Luciano listening in the back.
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Legal & Copyright 

Newsletter, Announcements, Flash News and Press Releases: Copyright 2014 Sandrone Luciano Azienda Agricola, Via Pugnane 4, 12060 Barolo (CN) Italy

Text: Copyright 2014 VintageSpec, Inc. Used by permission.

Reproduction of any part of this newsletter without prior written consent of Sandrone Luciano Barolo and any other copyright holder is prohibited. 

Photos: "Cannubi panorama landscape" header, "5 bottles" and individual bottle photos: Copyright Davide Dutto.

Any and All other Photographs in text: Copyright 2005-2014 VintageSpec Inc. Used by permission.

Reproductions of text and images such as in the "Recent Press," "Upcoming Events" and other sections of this newsletter come from various named and credited publications, events and critics, and are made under "Fair Use" provisions of Copyright law.