FROM THE CELLAR | Great Wine: 2004 Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne

By Johannes Marlena

With effulgent notes of red cherry, rose tea and peppery spice, one of my personal favorites of all Italian wine shines through with its brilliance of structure, acidity and silkiness on the palate. Luciano Sandrone is one of the undisputed modern masters of Barolo wine, and the SANDRONE Le Vigne Barolo is a blend of Nebbiolo grapes sourced from vineyards that Luciano feels best expresses the complexity and depth of the prized Barolo region. The Le Vigne is held up as a classic, I believe, because of the seamlessness of its blend throughout the vintages and for its gleaming authenticity that’s revealed through the most meticulous of winemaking. I treasure this Barolo over many fine Barolos in the upper end of the price range because it seems to me a wine of high spirits unbound from the earth from which it came. Indeed, despite being 13 years old, this 2004 vintage bottling has a life-affirming quality and a spirited elegance of structure that says it has long life ahead of it yet. It’s a wine that endures. Like Giulietta Masina’s character, Gelsomina, in La Strada, the character of this Barolo is one of endurance through all strife by maintaining a glowing inner strength. At once coquettish and strongly feminine, Le Vigne, with its forthcoming personality achieves a level of poignancy that’s truly rarefied.  –J.M.

Other Sandrone Barolos I’ve reviewed:

Le Vigne Barolo 2012 – 95 points

Cannubi Boschis Barolo 2012 – 97 points

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September 13, 2017