Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne 2019 (3000ml)

A blend of several small parcels of vines from several communes, Le Vigne is Sandrone’s ode to the classic, Barolo-wide blend that was once the norm. All the sites that contribute to Le Vigne are markedly different from each other in terms of altitude, soil and exposure, and together provide a broad overview of Barolo in a given year. 2019 is the first year to include Nebbiolo from Sandrone’s new holding in Le Coste di Monforte (pictured above). Sandrone has been farming this Monforte d’Alba site since 2000. So, from this vintage, Le Vigne includes fruit from five communes: Barolo, Serralunga d’Alba, Novello, Castiglione Falletto and Monforte d’Alba. Regarding the winemaking, wild yeast fermentation begins in tank before malolactic conversion and aging in mostly used, 500-litre French oak casks. Approximately 20-30% of the fruit is fermented as bunches, with the destemmed portion having a very high percentage of whole berries. Time on skins varied from ten days to up to one month. Total time in oak was 20-22 months and the wine was, as always, bottled unfiltered. What can we add to the notes below? Well, the wine is considerably more approachable than Galloni’s note, published 18 months ago, suggests. Indeed, at a dinner this week in Melbourne the wine looked positively charming, served with Bistecca Alla Fiorentina. And for what it’s worth, Barbara Sandrone agrees!