Sandrone Luciano : Le Vigne 2020

Characteristics and tasting notes for the Le Vigne 2020 cuvée from Sandrone Luciano

Tasting

Appearance
The appearance presents a deep and luminous garnet hue.

Nose
The nose reveals itself intensely fragrant, unveiling aromas of black fruits accompanied by floral notes. Mineral and spicy nuances complete this complex and elegant bouquet.

Palate
On the palate, the wine expresses flavors of red and black fruits associated with a mineral dimension and rose petals. Delicate touches of wood and spices enrich the tasting. The structure is characterized by soft and layered tannins, offering remarkable power while maintaining lightness and elegance. This wine requires a few years of cellaring and will begin to express itself fully approximately eight to ten years after the vintage.

Service and cellaring
The Le Vigne 2020 can be enjoyed between 2029 and 2054 approximately.

A traditional Barolo blending the diversity of Piedmont terroirs

The estate
Established in 1978 in Piedmont, the Sandrone Luciano estate represents a reference for modern Barolo. Luciano Sandrone, who passed away in January 2023, acquired his first vineyard on the Cannubi hill in 1977 and crafted his first vintage in the family garage. Today, his daughter Barbara and his son Luca perpetuate this legacy on an estate producing approximately eight thousand cases per year. The estate distinguishes itself through its approach balancing modernity and tradition with vinification in open vats, aging in five-hundred-liter barrels using only ten to twenty percent new wood, and uncertified bio-organic practices. An emblematic figure who profoundly marked Piedmont, Sandrone Luciano remains an essential reference for Barolo.

The vineyard
"Le Vigne" is crafted from grapes sourced from five distinct vineyards located in different communes of the Barolo appellation. The parcels are found in Barolo with Vignane, in Novello with Merli, in Serralunga d'Alba with Baudana (since 2010), in Castiglione Falletto with Villero (since 2011), and in Monforte d'Alba with Le Coste di Monforte (since 2019). This multi-parcel blending approach reflects the traditional Barolo method as it was practiced in the past.

The vintage
The winter of 2019-2020 is characterized in Piedmont by significant snowfall, with more than three meters at altitude. In early April, a forty-eight-hour frost episode affects certain areas, mainly low-lying zones subject to cold air pockets, but spares most of Sandrone's sites. Flowering occurs in early June, coinciding with the first true heat. The months of June and July alternate between warm and cool periods with timely rains, the last significant summer rain occurring in mid-July. The month of August proves hot with warm nights, causing acute water stress comparable to that of 2017. Approximately fifty days of drought reduce berry growth, generating an excellent juice-to-skin ratio with smaller berries and less compact clusters. Early and mid-September bring cooler nights and some well-timed gentle rains. This vintage produces generous, ample, and rich wines with slightly lower acidity than classic years, promising decades of cellaring while offering great pleasure in the medium term. Harvest takes place from October 7 to 19, 2020.

Vinification and aging
"Le Vigne" 2020 follows a traditional approach where grapes from each vineyard are harvested, vinified, and aged separately before final blending prior to bottling. Spontaneous fermentation is carried out with indigenous yeasts in open steel vats. Malolactic fermentation and aging take place in five-hundred-liter French oak barrels. The wine then benefits from eighteen months of bottle aging before its release. This cuvée is part of the "sibi et paucis" project, intended for long and slow aging.

Grape variety
100% nebbiolo.