Sandrone
Sibi Et Paucis Le Vigne Barolo 2015
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.
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.
VINEYARD
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, which produces wines that 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 9-15 days of alcoholic fermentation. Immediately after alcoholic fermentation, which takes 28-30 days, malolactic fermentation takes place in 500 liter French oak casks. The wine is aged in these casks for 24 months, followed by 18 months bottle aging.
VINTAGE
2015 was defined by seven weeks of intense heat from late June through mid-August, broken by violent thunderstorms that ushered in a long, cool ripening period for the final 12 weeks of the growing season. Careful vineyard management throughout, including later crop-thinning, reduced leaf-pulling, and allowing vegetation to grow freely, ensured the fruit arrived at harvest in exceptional condition. The resulting wines show ripe, generous fruit with good freshness, well-matured tannins, and real potential for the cellar.
TASTING NOTE
Dark fruit, violet, licorice, and cola on the nose, with red flowers, tobacco, and black tea in the background. Tight and expansive on the palate, with black fruit, vibrant acidity, and sweet ripe tannins. Long, spiced, mineral finish.
FOOD PAIRING
Braised short rib, roasted lamb, wild boar, aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, truffle dishes
Color
Red
Blend %
100% Nebbiolo
Appellation
Barolo
Alcohol
14.5%
Suggested Retail Price
$329
Reviews
James Suckling - April 17, 2025 "A super-complex and deep wine with aromas of cinnamon, mint, prunes, leather and tobacco. Full-bodied, it shows incredible tension, density and concentration, with velvety tannins, crisp acidity and umami flavors on a super-long aftertaste."
Wine Advocate - January 30, 2025 "The Luciano Sandrone 2015 Barolo Le Vigne Sibi et Paucis delivers a good sense of freshness and brightness. It offers a very good read of the vintage with an open-knit and broad texture. The tannins still might need an extra year or two to integrate. The wine ages for a standard 18 months in tonneaux, followed by eight additional years in the bottle in a special room built at the back of the winery. Only 1,500 bottles are being released now. I came back to taste this wine 24 hours later and continued to be impressed by its freshness."
Vinous - January 8, 2025 "The 2015 Barolo Le Vigne Sibi et Paucis is just beginning to open in its aromatics. Mid-weight, gracious and elegant, the 2015 is a classic Le Vigne. Red-toned fruit, blood orange, mint and high-toned spice notes are nicely laced together. This has aged beautifully. In fact, I might be tempted to cellar it for a few more years!"
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."
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 ALESTE Barolo
Barolo
ALESTE - a combination of the names of Luciano Sandrone's grandchildren ALEssia and STEfano -- is the new name for Luciano's first wine, the Barolo Cannubi Boschis, which garnered Luciano his early acclaim with the international trade and press. This single-vineyard wine is typically dense and concentrated but shows incredible harmony and balance.
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.
