Luciano Sandrone Le Vigne 2014

The wine in this vintage

2014 in the Langhe was a difficult year, marked by a cool, rainy summer and some hailstorms; yet a drier September and October allowed Nebbiolo, a late-ripening grape, to recover, rewarding careful producers with elegant, fragrant wines. Barolo Le Vigne 2014 offers a delicate interpretation: crunchy cherry, currant, rose petals, fine spice and a balsamic note, on a lighter frame with slender tannins. Wine Enthusiast rated it 95 points and Wine Spectator 94. It is a Barolo of easy drinkability, already pleasurable today, which can be kept a few more years while retaining its freshness.

The producer · Azienda Agricola Luciano Sandrone

Luciano Sandrone's story is that of a grower who built one of the most respected names in the Langhe from scratch. After years as a cellar hand for other wineries, he bought a first small plot in the Cannubi Boschis cru in 1977 and the following year vinified his first Barolo with the simplest of means and a very clear idea of style. From that nucleus the estate grew carefully, joined by his brother Luca and daughter Barbara, who now carry his vision forward. The Sandrone style has been influential: precisely vinified Nebbiolo, aged in tonneaux and medium-sized casks, combining the transparency and depth of classic Barolo with clear-cut fruit and consistently polished tannins. The signature wines are Aleste, the Barolo from Cannubi Boschis, and Le Vigne, a blend of several vineyards across different communes of the appellation. Through its Sibi et Paucis project the estate also holds back part of each vintage, releasing it after years of further ageing in its cellars.

Critics' scores

• 95 Wine Enthusiast
• 94 Wine Spectator
• 16/20 Jancis Robinson

Technical details

Producer

Azienda Agricola Luciano Sandrone

Region

Piemonte

Country

Italia

Type

Rosso

Vintage

2014

When to drink

Hold, still evolving

Critics' average

94.5/100

Sizes

75 cl, Magnum 150 cl, Case of 6 × 75 cl

eWibe code

0050114