Sandrone
Sibi et Paucis ALESTE Barolo
Barolo
Each year, the winery chooses to put aside a small part of their production of the wines based in Nebbiolo. The winery holds these in their library under optimal conditions for resting, refining and the slow march toward maturity. The seal on the labels identifies these specific bottles and their path which began under the ground in their cellars.
ALESTE is the natural continuity of Luciano’s first wine, the Barolo Cannubi Boschis, which garnered Luciano his early acclaim with the international trade and press. Giving all the experience, knowledge, patience and passion of his many harvests, Luciano pays tribute, with boldness and sensibility, to the next family generation: “ALESTE” is in fact the combination of the names of his grandchildren ALEssia and STEfano.
This single-vineyard wine is typically dense and concentrated but shows incredible harmony and balance. The medium-weight structure shows delightful and seductive notes of berries and cherries, with floral and mineral aspects. In great vintages, properly cellared examples will drink well for 20+ years. The finish is sweet and broad, with moderate, ripe tannins and long length.
VINEYARD
Cannubi Boschis is one of the great cru sites in Barolo, synonymous with richness and complexity. Located near the northern end of the Cannubi hill — entirely within the commune of Barolo — it sits in a small south and southeast-facing bowl that captures warmth in the early morning hours. The soils are shallow sea deposits of calcareous clay with good drainage, lending the wines their characteristic profound aromatic complexity and comparatively softer tannins than those grown in Monforte or Serralunga. The Sandrone winery sits directly across the valley from this storied subzone.
WINEMAKING
Each vineyard lot is vinified separately. After destemming and light crushing, the must is blanketed with CO2 for a gentle warm maceration of approximately one day before alcoholic fermentation begins from native yeasts 24 to 36 hours later. Fermentation takes place in upright open-top steel tanks over the first 9 to 10 days, with total alcoholic fermentation running 28 to 30 days. Malolactic fermentation follows immediately in 500-liter French oak casks, where the wine then ages for 24 months in casks and 18 months in bottle. Only 800 cases produced.
VINTAGE
An extraordinary season defined by seven weeks of intense heat from late June through mid-August, broken by a series of strong storms that ushered in cooler temperatures for the final ten weeks of ripening. Careful vineyard management proved decisive, with precise timing of defoliation and crop thinning ensuring ripe, balanced fruit. Harvest ran from October 4th to 17th, delivering wines of generosity and abundance, with enveloping fruit, good freshness and ripe, well-integrated tannins.
TASTING NOTE
Deep and richly fruited with black cherry, currant and raspberry, lifted by tea rose, white truffle and liquorice. Muscular yet balanced on the palate, with powerful ripe tannins and excellent acidity framing a long, rewarding finish.
FOOD PAIRING
Braised beef cheek with truffle and polenta
Color
Red
Blend %
100% Nebbiolo
Appellation
Barolo
Alcohol
14.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$359
Reviews
Vinous - January 8, 2025 "Now approaching its tenth birthday, the 2015 Barolo Aleste Sibi et Paucis is impressive. Dark and ample in the glass, the 2015 offers up a beguiling mix of black cherry, plum, licorice, new leather and mocha. Floral notes open on the mid-palate and finish, giving this generous, super-expressive Barolo added layers of nuance."
James Suckling - April 17, 2025 "An earthy and layered Barolo with aromas of camphor, Earl Grey tea, orange peel, dried cherries and licorice. Full-bodied, it shows power and tension, with firm, dusty tannins, refreshing acidity and flavors of forest floor and chocolate. Chewy and long, with a lot of energy."
Wine Spectator - August 6, 2025 "This red is settling into a nice groove, with the cut grass, freshly mown hay and red fruit character of the vintage. Cherry, raspberry, iron and spice flavors are fused to a solid structure, while the complex aftertaste goes on and on. Shows terrific balance and energy."
Wine Advocate - January 30, 2025 "This special wine takes us back to a warm and sunny vintage. The Luciano Sandrone 2015 Barolo Aleste Sibi et Paucis is open knit in texture with granular tannins that give the wine softness and a sense of grittiness. These qualities reflect the character of the year, and the wine follows through with a dark appearance with crimson and burgundy highlights. In terms of bouquet, you get dried flowers, fragrant tea leaf and a hint of smoked meat or bacon. Fruit is from the Cannubi Boschis vineyard, and this 1,500-bottle release is held back for an additional eight years of bottle age before it hits the market. It's had ample time to evolve, and now it's time to enjoy this late-release wine."
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Vite Talin Barolo
Barolo
Vite Talin is Sandrone's rarest Barolo, born from a single anomalous Nebbiolo vine that Luciano discovered in 1987 in a vineyard leased from an elderly farmer known as "Talin." The vine's unusually small, dark clusters and distinctly compact character set it apart from everything growing around it. After 25 years of experimentation and DNA confirmation in 2017, the 2013 vintage became the first official release. Made from 100% Nebbiolo, it is fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged three years in French oak before spending another three years in bottle, debuting a full six years after harvest. Rich, structured, and built for long cellaring.
Sibi et Paucis Le Vigne Barolo
Barolo
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.
Dolcetto d’Alba
Dolcetto d'Alba
Sandrone's Dolcetto d’Alba is produced using Dolcetto grapes from 11 different vineyards, all within the Barolo DOCG. Sandrone’s Dolcetto sees no time in wood and is a remarkably robust and complex example of the variety.
Le Vigne Barolo
Barolo
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.
Barbera d’Alba
Barbera d'Alba
The Sandrone Barbera d'Alba comes from three vineyards: Merli and Rocche di San Nicola in Novello, and Cascina Pe Mol in Monforte d’Alba. It is widely considered one of the most intense and complex Barberas produced.
Valmaggiore
Nebbiolo d'Alba
Valmaggiore is the product of Luciano’s incredible passion for the Nebbiolo grape variety and its different expression. Just 15 miles away from Barolo, in the Roero region, Nebbiolo produces a lighter structure and ripe, smooth tannins that are not unlike those of Pinot Noir. This is not a “baby Barolo” or a second wine at all – it is a distinct interpretation of Nebbiolo from a completely distinct geographic zone.
ALESTE Barolo
Barolo
A combination of the names of Luciano Sandrone's grandchildren ALEssia and STEfano, ALESTE is the new name for Luciano's first wine, the Barolo Cannubi Boschis, which garnered early acclaim with the international trade and press. This single-vineyard wine is typically dense and concentrated, but shows incredible harmony and balance.
