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Sandrone

Le Vigne Barolo 2014

Barolo

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Barolo Le Vigne is often a dark and impenetrable wine in its youth. With proper cellaring, this wine reveals more classic Barolo aspects of black cherries, tar, violets and roses. This wine can outlive the ALESTE/Cannubi Boschis bottling in great years: Le Vigne shows more tannins than its brother and possesses amazing freshness and length.

Le Vigne is a wine created from four different Nebbiolo vineyards, each of which brings its own contribution. This union generates an exceptionally complex wine that is round and harmonious on the palate, with fruity and spicy notes, and this approach of blending together plots is in fact the traditional one in Barolo.

VINEYARD

Le Vigne is a wine created from four different vineyards, each of which brings its own contribution. The first vineyard, Vignane, is situated in the historical part of the Barolo appellation and shares many characteristics with Cannubi. The Merli vineyard is located in Novello, with the Sandrone section in a south-southwest facing bowl that captures the afternoon light perfectly. The wines made from here are earthy and robust but with good aromatic complexity. The third vineyard, Baudana in Serralunga d’Alba, gives the wine additional depth and richness. As of 2011, Le Vigne also includes fruit from Villero, a newly acquired vineyard in Castiglione Falletto.

WINEMAKING

Each vineyard is vinified separately, and after destemming and light crushing, the must is covered with CO2 for a gentle warm maceration of approximately a day. Alcoholic fermentation begins about 24-36 hours later from native yeasts. A gentle maceration takes place in upright open-top steel tanks for the first 7-18 days of alcoholic fermentation. Immediately after alcoholic fermentation, which takes about 28 days, malolactic fermentation takes place in 500-liter French oak casks. The wine is aged in these casks (25% new) for 24 months.

VINTAGE

The 2014 vintage, despite being one of the most complex to manage in recent years, gave way to very pleasant surprises as a result of favorable end of season conditions, which provided high quality in the vinified grapes. The spring, following a mild winter, came rather gently but prematurely. The amount of rainfall in the summer was above average, with real “cloud bursts” on a few occasions, although these were quite contained yet intense. Particularly significant were the rains of the 23rd and the 29th of July, which however had profoundly different outcomes: in some areas 63 mm of rain were recorded in a single day, while just 15 km away only 13 mm. The month of September was undoubtedly positive from a climatic point of view, with a good diurnal temperature shift, significantly contributing to grape quality and phenolic maturation. Nebbiolo is the varietal that responded best to the beautiful climatic conditions at the end of the maturation period. Where the operations of thinning and cleaning of the bunches were carried out correctly during the complete vegetative cycle, excellent results were achieved. Harvesting operations began in October from the 10th and lasted until October 18th.

TASTING NOTE

The Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne 2014 surprises with its intense garnet color, alive and beautiful. As it ages, it will slowly fade in intensity and gain subtle orange-brick hues. The scent, broad and persistent, first shows fruit notes of wild strawberry and raspberry, then floral notes including wild flowers and dried roses. The spice aromas of cinnamon and star anise emerge at the finish. With time we expect secondary and tertiary aromas and flavors to evolve, such as elegant vanilla notes and then dried mushrooms, leather, tar and, perhaps, truffles. The flavor is rich and intense, with youthful expressiveness in the tannin and acidity. Time will bring greater harmony, resulting in a more complex and balanced wine. It is a young, solid and promising Barolo, borne of an ancient process which combines knowledge of the territory with the ability of the various characters of each vineyard site to meld into a harmonious whole.

Color

Red

Grape Varieties

Nebbiolo

Appellation

Barolo

Farming

Follows organic farming but has chosen not to seek certification. Minimal quantities of Bordeaux mixture and sulfur (as allowed per organic practices) are used to control mold and fungus, and fertilization every 4-6 years occurs with composted manure from dairy cows.

Alcohol

14.0%

Suggested Retail Price

$155.00

Reviews

95

"Red berry, dried rose petal, exotic spice, menthol"

Wine Enthusiast (Cellar Selection) - October 12, 2018 "Red berry, dried rose petal, exotic spice, menthol and a whiff of underbrush take shape in the glass. On the youthfully tense but focused palate, taut refined tannins and vibrant acidity frame raspberry, strawberry, star anise and a hint of espresso. It's already delicious but this shows wonderful aging potential, so hold for even more complexity."

96

"body and classy"

Vinous - October 24, 2018 "The 2014 Barolo Le Vigne once again shows the wisdom of blending fruit from different sites. If there is a vintage where blending has the potential to be the difference-maker, 2014 is it. So it is hardly surprising to find the 2014 Le Vigne in such great shape. The red cherry jam, mint, cedar and floral notes are all finely sketched. Medium in body and classy, the 2014 is beautifully textured and inviting from start to finish. All the elements are simply in the right place. Vineyard sources are Merli, Vignane, Villero and Baudana."

Trade Materials

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Sandrone Le Vigne Barolo Bottle Shot

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