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Cannubi Long Color

News from the Cantina   

September 21, 2014

In This Issue
Upcoming Events
Recent Press
Summer in the Cantina
Tasting Older Vintages: Valmaggiore 2007
Current Releases
Sibi et Paucis
Barolo Resting in the Cantina

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

 

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22 September 2014

Milan, Italy

Best Italian Wine Awards

Famed sommeliers Luca Gardini and Andrea Grignaffini once again present their list of the 50 greatest wines made in Italy. We are honored to have our 

2010 Barolo Cannubi Boschis included on the list; Barbara will be in attendance. For information and tickets, please click here.

 

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28 September 2014

Alba, Italy

La Festa del Vino is a part of the larger festival organized by the Truffle Festival group. Tickets and information can be found here.

 

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5-6 October, 2014

Padova, Italy

In Villa Veritas

Enoteca La Mia Cantina

will be hosting a tasting event with some of our current wines with Barbara in attendance to pour and talk about the bottlings with interested collectors.

 

Tickets and information here.

 

There will be a Master Class on 

Sunday, 5 October at 15.00 on Barolo Le Vigne and 

Nebbiolo d'Alba Valmaggiore

 

Wines Poured with 

Barbara in attendance:

2005 Barolo Le Vigne

2003 Barolo Le Vigne

 

2010 Nebbiolo d'Alba Valmaggiore

 

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October 11-November 16, 2014

Alba Italy

Alba Fiera Tartufo

84th Annual

Fiera Tartufo Bianco d'Alba

 

As always, the great truffle festival brings people from all over the world to Alba. With this year's precipitation, we expect a good truffle harvest. Tickets and information can be found here.

 

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October 16-18, 2014

New York City

NYWE 2014

The New York Wine Experience, hosted by the Wine Spectator Magazine, returns to the Marriott Marquis for two days to celebrate the world of wine. More information and tickets on the NYWE home page.

 

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 October 23-27, 2014

Torino, Italy

Torino 2014

Slow Food 

Salone del Gusto

 

Slow Food was founded in the nearby village of Bra in 1986 by Carolo Petrini, and after nearly 30 years of work, the movement continues to hist this amazing festival of food and wine. 

 

Information, reservations and tickets can be found on the 

Salone del Gusto home page.

 

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November 6-9, 2014

Villa d'Este, Italy

 

The 6th edition of the Villa d'Este Wine Syposium will be held November 6-9 on the luxurious resort on Lake Como.

 

Download the pdf information packet here.

 

As a part of our participation, we will present 2 magnums at the 

Gala Auction:

 

Barolo Cannubi Boschis 1999

Barolo Le Vigne 1999

 

Happy Bidding and good luck!

 

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November 20, 2014

Gland, Nyon, Switzerland

Caves SA, our Swiss importer in the Lake of Gevena region, will be co-hosting an important tasting of the Barolo Le Vigne with the Club des Amateurs de Vins Exquis, vintages 2000-2010 inclusive. There will be a special magnum of 

1999 Le Vigne as well, direct from Luciano's archive cellar. Information and reservations, please contacts Caves SA directly: click here for the page 

on the tasting. 

(Limited to 24 participants.)

 

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November 22-23, 2014

Torino, Italy

AIS Logo

Every year, the Piedmont chapter of the AIS hosts a tasting of new releases of the province. Luciano will be on hand to pour his 2010 Barolo bottlings:

2010 Barolo Cannubi Boschis

2010 Barolo le Vinge

 

For tickets and more information, please click here.

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November 23, 2014

London, England

Barolo Night JR

Jancis Robinson hosts her annual Barolo tasting. There's not yet any info on her website, we just know that our wines will be there!

Click here to check her calendar.

 

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28-29 November 2014

Paris, France

B+D Grand Tasting  

Bettane + Desseauve

Grand Tasting Paris

 

Tickets and Information here; held annually at the 

Grand Carousel du Louvre

 

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February 6-7, 2015

New York City

La Festa del Barolo returns for its bi-annual celebration of all things Barolo. Antonio Galloni and Vinous organize this event to bring together producers and enthusiasts of Barolo. Check our events page for details about our participation. More information and tickets can be found at the Vinous website.

 

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February 26-27, 2015

London England

 Robert Parker's

The Grand World Tour

lands in London England for a gala dinner and master class. Barbara will be in attendance pouring the 2000 Barolo Le Vigne.

Reservations and Information can be found here.

RecentPress---------

Recent Press

(USA)


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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Vinous

(USA)

 

vinous logo  

 

Antonio Galloni reviewed 

the 2010 Barolo releases 

(posted to Vinous on Jan 8, 2014)

 

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

 

 

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September, 2014

vinous logo 

 

Galloni rates 2011 Barolo and recaps 1999 Barolo

 

Just published: Antonio has posted a new article on a "First Look" at 2011 Barolo.

 

Link to the full article here

(subscription required)

 

"Luciano and Luca Sandrone's 2011 Barolos are gorgeous. They also reflect some of the important shifts taking place in Piedmont; namely keeping green harvests from being excessive, leaving more leaf cover and picking a little earlier. For a few years now Sandrone has been among the first to bottle, preferring to give the wines less time in barrel, but more time in bottle before release in order to preserve freshness."

 

2011 Barolo Cannubi Boschis

95+ points

"Sandrone's 2011 Barolo Cannubi Boschis is a drop-dead gorgeous beauty. Flashy, supple and radiant, the 2011 is already quite open and expressive. Cannubi Boschis impresses for its centerdness, solid core of fruit and exceptional overall balance. This gorgeous, voluptuous beauty is shaping up to be a jewel of a wine. Next to the sensual, layered Le Vigne, the Cannubi Boschis is a decidedly vertical, powerful Barolo." 

 

2011 Barolo Le Vigne

96 points

"Rose petal, mint, crushed flowers, sweet red berries and cinnamon are some of the many notes that take shape in the glass. A wine of exquisite perfume and aromatic lift, the 2011 Le Vigne is all about finesse and pure texture. With time in the glass, the 2011 blossoms into a layered, head-turning wine. This is a great effort from Sandrone. In 2011, Le Vigne includes fruit from Villero for the first time. Few wines straddle the modern and traditional with this much pure finesse."

 

 

1999 Vintage Recap

by Antonio Galloni

(published August 2014)

 

"The 1999 Barolos are the first wines Luciano Sandrone made in his current winery in the flats of Barolo across the road from Cannubi. Since then, Sandrone has continued to ratchet up quality in a meaningful way. Although the 1999s are beautiful, it is pretty clear that today's wines have an extra gear or two. In the late 1990s, the emphasis was on very low yields and later harvesting, than is the case today, while new oak levels were also higher."


 

Link here to full article.

(subscription required)

 

1999 Barolo Cannubi Boschis

93 points

"Sandrone's 1999 Barolo Cannubi Boschis has become much more delicate over the last few years. Still fresh and vibrant, the 1999 impresses for its total sense of harmony. The tannins are now starting to melt away, allowing the fruit to be fully expressive. Violets, lavender and blue/purplish fruit grace the finish. There is a lot to like here."

 

1999 Barolo Le Vigne

94 points

"The 1999 Barolo Le Vigne is striking and super-expressive today. Still quite youthful, the 1999 possesses lovely balance and plenty of silkiness. Subtle hints of sweet tobacco, mint, dried cherries, crushed flowers and anise are all layers of nuance in a finely sculpted, chiseled Barolo long on personality and class. This is a fabulous showing from Le Vigne."

 

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Wine Advocate rates 
2010 Barolo
(USA)
WA Logo

New Wine Advocate reviewer Monica Larner covered 
the 2010 Barolo in 
Issue 213 of the Wine Advocate.

"The 2010 vintage of Barolo is the most Nebbiologgiante vintage in recent memory. It offers a pristine and absolutely immaculate view into this great native grape that thrives so successfully in the Langhe area of northwest Italy. Without a doubt, it will be recorded as one of the great vintages of the past decades." 


96 points
"The 2010 Barolo Le Vigne is composed from an assembly of fruit sourced from the townships of Barolo, Novello and Serralunga d'Alba. It reflects Barolo tradition in which, years ago, this noble wine was made from a wide assembly of fruit instead of single cru sites (as is the custom today). Bright cherry fruit, blackberry and creme de cassis segue to profound layers of licorice, spice, cola and anisette. It feels strong and tonic in the mouth with a pleasingly velveteen texture and a fresh dose of zesty acidity. Drink: 2017-2030."

2010 Barolo Cannubi Boschis
97 points.  
"The single-vineyard 2010 Barolo Cannubi Boschis speaks in confident tones at high volumes. First produced in 1985, Cannubi Boschis is among the first single vineyard cru expressions made in Barolo. Thirty-five-year-old vines enjoy south and southeast exposures at 250 meters above sea level. The long 2010 growing season has favored optimal tannin ripeness and fine complexity on the bouquet. This is one of the standout wines of this celebrated vintage. It is well worth putting this wine at the back of your cellar where it will be untouched for years. Drink: 2017-2030."

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(USA)
Reviews 2009 Barolo
Reviewer: Kerin O'Keefe: 

WE Logo Long

97 points. 
September 1, 2014
"This compelling wine delivers a combination of concentration and complexity. It opens with a multifaceted fragrance that includes mature black fruit, leather, cinnamon and balsamic notes. The palate is still tightly wound but offers bright red berry and black cherry layered with notes of tobacco, alpine herbs and baking spices alongside bracing tannins and invigorating acidity. It's young but impeccably balanced. Drink after 2020."
 
99 points. 
September 1, 2014
"Structured but extremely elegant, this opens with an intense fragrance of violet, rose, wild berry, leather, underbrush and balsamic notes. The delicious, focused palate delivers crushed black cherry layered with notes of exotic spices, licorice, sage and black pepper, perfectly balanced by assertive tannins and vibrant energy. It already boasts gripping depth, but this has serious aging potential. Drink 2020-2040."
 
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La Revue de Vin de France
(FR)
 
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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Greetings!

After the cool, variable spring, we have been working overtime to stay on top of the challenges of the 2014 summer, but as we send this newsletter out, September has been promising. The sun has been out, the soil is drying, there is a bit of a breeze and the vines are regaining some luster after the cool and humid months of July and August. 

The Vignane (back) and Monrobiola (foreground) crus of Barolo. Our Vignane plot is near the upper middle of the photo.


 
The last weekend of August marked a big change: the beginning of a week of uninterrupted sun and warmth. As in 2008, a cool and wet growing season finished with 8 perfect weeks of ripening time, and we hope for similar conditions this year. We are happy that finally the sun is showing itself, just in time for the final burst of ripening on the vines. Just as in 2008, Luciano and Luca have been working diligently in the vines and though the vegetative cycle is longer than usual, we are happy with the results - so far. Of particular interest is that just like in 2008 (and since), Luciano and Luca have been extremely conservative and judicious with the green harvest - preferring not too cut off too much fruit from the vines. As in 2008, those who waited to green harvest were amply rewarded with a long and slow maturation period, and we are hoping for similar results this year.

 

Even with the trying conditions in July, we all took a bit of time off in August (less than usual, though, especially for the vineyards crew) and we all look forward to a successful harvest and making the new wine.

Alessia at boxing
Luciano's granddaughter Alessia, at work packing the new Dolcetto 2013 for export last week.

 

The next generation of Sandrone winemakers are beginning to make their presence felt and spend more time working here as well. Alessia, Luciano's granddaughter and Barbara's daughter, has finished her first two years at the Oenological School of Alba and is participating in winery work on a regular basis. 

 

As always, we thank you, our collectors and consumers, 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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2014 Summer in the Cantina and Vineyards
 
The 2014 summer was cool with occasional downpours, including one that caused minor flooding on the valley floor near Gallo d'Alba (well downstream from where we are located, though the stream near the cantina, the Talloria Annunziata, came up over its banks). The downpours contributed to a general level of excess humidity over the summer - ideal conditions for oidium. Many growers were overwhelmed by the extra work needed to keep on top of the conditions this year, especially after 5 to 7 vintages of relatively easy growing conditions. 

We are - and were - up to the challenge! Luciano, as you know, is a graduate of the Agrarian Program in Gallo (not the oenological school; he learned winemaking in the cellars of Borgogno and Marchesi di Barolo), and his 51 vintages of experience made all the difference this year. Ably assisted by his brother Luca and our crack team of vineyard hands, we were out in the vines continuously, treating for diseases, repairing trellises, re-guiding vine shoots for maximum and even sun exposure, clipping canes damaged by the 2 hailstorms ... essentially doing the needed and necessary work that we are prepared to do each year. 

The results have been gratifying. As the second week of September draws to a close, we have a healthy, thriving vines in almost all our vineyards (a few small locations are always problematic, especially close to the small forests that dot the area) and the veraison has successfully transformed the grapes from green to red. Our yields are somewhat less that usual (most growers report 10-15% less than normal crop loads) but we are concerned about the quality of the fruit, not the quantity. 
luca at villero
Luca walking the Villero Vineyard

Much of growing good fruit just involves simply paying attention instead of doing the same things every season. We are fortunate that our small size allows us to do more, and work differently, than producers making hundreds of thousands of bottles (and thus they rely on formulas and seek across-the-board efficiencies). Our vineyard team is headed by Luca who is in the vineyards every day. He makes the rounds with the crew, is often on the tractor while trimming, and zips around in the old battered pickup to check on all the vineyard sites at least 3 times per week. This allows him to apply his considerable expertise in determining the best practices for each individual vineyard plot. One site might need more copper for mildew, another might be best served by simply pulling a few leaves for better air circulation around the fruit. Instead of applying the same techniques and treatments across the whole of our varied vineyard holdings, Luca can micro-adjust the work and the treatments to individual vineyard parcels, and prepare work orders and schedules on the fly as conditions dictate. This allows us to not only raise lovely fruit in wildly different terrains and conditions, but also minimize the use of treatments to what is absolutely necessary. Hats off to Luca - he and his team have brought us through a difficult summer to the cusp of harvest with fruit we can all be proud of.

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Luciano w 2013 Dolc
Luciano with the first bottles of the 2013 Dolcetto. June 2014.

In the cantina, we bottled the 2013 Dolcetto in late June (the other wines are all bottled mid-winter) in preparation of release last week. We are especially happy with this wine, a delicate, drinkable Dolcetto that will pair well with a wide variety of meals. More below on this delicious everyday wine.

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The last of the 2009 Barolo were labeled and sent out  just before we took a break in early August. The Barolo bottlings from this vintage are great "restaurant" wines - they show forward, generous fruit, ripe but soft tannins and fresh acidity - which make them a perfect wine to open sooner rather than later. While the 2006, 2008 and 2010 vintages are best left alone in the cellar for years more, the 2009s provide incredible drinking pleasure now and over the next 12-15 years. It is a vintage to enjoy, and even better if the wine is decanted an hour before consuming.
2009 barolo
Dorina and Cristina with the last bottles of 2009 Barolo to leave the cantina.
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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 July we took the opportunity to take a look at the development of a more recent vintage of Valmaggiore, the 2007, five years after the original release.

(Tasted by Luciano, Luca and Barbara, with others on the staff, July 2014)   
 
VM sp Bottle

The 2007 growing season was warm and dry, with near-perfect growing conditions even though bud break was nearly a month early. A dry and temperate winter led to bud break in early March, and other than a cold scare the second week of March, we had excellent growing conditions thoughout the season.

In Roero, where the Valamggiore Vineyard is located, dry and warm conditions led to a harvest that began early September. Even so, the vines had a full growing season because of the early start. We harvested beautiful, expressive fruit under ideal conditions. This wine is just reaching its best drinking plateau. 

 

Cantina Tasting Note: 
(July 2014): The vintage gave us expressive, fruity, generous wines and the Valmaggiore 2007 is no exception: the scents of cherries and strawberries soar from the glass. The wine has burgundian weight and structure and is all about finesse over power. In the mouth, Nebbiolo tannins are characteristic, but ripe and sweet, and balanced by excellent fruit. It finishes with density and length, licorice notes and fresh acidity. Drink now-2019.


 

The Critics: 
The Wine Advocate, #185: 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."

"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."
VM from Above
Valmaggiore, summer 2007
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New Releases in the Market!

 

As of September 1, the much anticipated 2010 Barolo bottlings have been released, along with the new vintages of Barbera, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo.

Bottles dark background

  

Dolcetto d'Alba 2013

Barbera d'Alba 2012

Barolo Cannubi Boschis 2010

Barolo "Le Vigne" 2010

 

We have begin to ship the new wines; check with your country's importer(s) for specific arrival times and ordering/purchase information with their retail partners.

 

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

luca with faschette
Luca adjusting the labeling machine for Dolcetto 2013


 

In 2010, a cool late August and early September gave us a long growing season and the resulting wines are 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 elegant and will have a longer life ... These are wines to cellar! The wines were in tonneaux 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 "Recent Press" 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 deeper and more structured wine.


 
The Valmaggiore area is always somewhat warmer than in the Barolo, as is normal, and the 2012 shows the focused fruit and acidity typical of the growing season. The fruit had ripened perfectly by the first week of October and we picked parcel-by-parcel under excellent 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. 

 

 

Dolcetto Bottle Current Release Spotlight: 

 

2013 Dolcetto d'Alba

The varied 2013 vintage gave us an elegant, expressive Dolcetto full of black fruits and moderately structured tannins, made to enjoy in the near term. The 2013 vintage yielded somewhat lower alcohol that the previous few vintages, which was welcome news for those of us who struggle to keep alcohol levels balanced during the warm vintages. The finish has good acidity, in keeping with the food-friendly nature of this wine.

 

Cantina Tasting Notes:

August 2014: Dark purple color, with ruby notes. Aromas of ripe plums, blueberries and spices, very inviting on the nose. In the mouth, the wine fills the palate with ripe dark fruit, graphite notes and ripe, moderately structured tannins - this is somewhat delicate in comparison to recent bottlings. The acidity is balanced and fresh, with a long finish that shows fruit and spice notes. Drink now-2017.

First 2013 in boxes
Dorina, Luciano, Cristina and Cristian (l-r) with the first bottles of 2013 Dolcetto to come off the labeling line, in August 2014.

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Sibi et Paucis Gold SeP

 

Along with new current releases, we typically release a few bottles of our "Sibi et Paucis" library wines. This year Luciano decided to wait an additional two years and release the 2006 Barolo bottlings on their 10th anniversary in 2016. Thus this autumn we have no new library release bottles.

 

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.

 

Please check with your country's importer for availability of these bottles - previously released vintages may still be in their supply.

 

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 can be assured that the wine spent 4 years in Luciano's archive library cellar - perfect provenance!

 

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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 21 months and are developing nicely. The 2012 Barbera and Nebbiolo Valmaggiore were bottled in January and were just released. The 2011 Barolo were assembled and bottled in January-February of 2014 and will be released in September of 2015. 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
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 further fruit from 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 further 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, even 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. As the wines develop, we see the character of a more classic vintage emerging, showing good acidity and structure. Cannubi Boschis, lower in the valley and from a warmer site, gives us a fruit-driven wine; 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, and is being prepared for bottling as this newsletter is being written.

We will keep you updated on the further development of these wines.

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Legal & Copyright: The Fine Print! 

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," "Valmaggiore Vineyard" 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.