Sandrone
Barolo Vite Talin 2020
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. It is rich, structured, and built for long cellaring.
WINE
Vite Talin is Sandrone's rarest Barolo, born from a single anomalous Nebbiolo vine Luciano discovered in 1987 in a vineyard leased from an elderly farmer known as "Talin." The vine's unusually small, dark clusters set it apart from everything around it, and after 25 years of experimentation and DNA confirmation in 2017, the 2013 vintage became the first official release. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged three years in French oak before another three in bottle, it debuts a full six years after harvest — rich, structured, and built for long cellaring.
VINEYARD
Sourced from three vineyards in the commune of Barolo — Le Coste, Drucà, and Rivassi — the Vite Talin clone produces notably small, deeply colored, highly pruinose clusters of lower vigor than standard Nebbiolo, resulting in wines of exceptional concentration and structural intensity. Its unique characteristics, stable across decades of observation, convinced Luciano that the grape's singular character supersedes even the terroir in which it grows.
WINEMAKING
Fully destemmed and fermented in 50hl open-topped wooden casks using only indigenous yeasts, with 20 to 35 days of maceration depending on vintage. Following an initial racking to steel, the wine moves to French oak tonneaux (500L, over 50% new) for malolactic fermentation and two years of aging, then to large oval French oak casks for one final year of refinement.
VINTAGE
2020 will be recalled as a year of long alternating periods of warm and cold weather. The year began with a mild and rather dry winter with few really cold and mostly sunny days with some snowfalls. By mid-March, the weather had turned unusually warm and dry for the region. In April, and throughout the rest of the growing season, 4-5 days of sun were usually followed by 1-2 days of rain. This ensured optimal water reserves, indispensable for combating the summer heat and allowing flowering to occur under perfect conditions.
TASTING NOTE
Deep garnet with intense color, the wine opens with meaty dark fruit and sottobosco, layered with emerging spice and subtle oak structure from extended large-cask aging. The finish is long and ripe, with sweet tannins and a persistent mineral thread.
FOOD PAIRING
Classic pairings include braised or roasted red meats, aged hard cheeses, and dishes with earthy components such as truffle or porcini.
Color
Red
Blend %
100% Nebbiolo
Appellation
Barolo
Alcohol
15%
Suggested Retail Price
$675
Reviews
Vinous - January 20, 2026 "The 2020 Barolo Vite Talin is fabulous. It’s the most refined Vite Talin so far. Layered and expressive, the 2020 possesses remarkable depth from start to finish. Even so, the 2020 is quite reticent, something I believe will be a positive for its long-term prospects. Dark cherry fruit, new leather, cinnamon, rose petal and cedar slowly emerge from the glass. Readers who can find it are in for a tremendous treat. The huge mid-palate, richness and overall intensity are viscerally thrilling. The Vite Talin spent two years in 500-liter tonneaux and a third year in cask, as is the norm for this bottling."
Jeb Dunnuck - April 6, 2026 "A saturated red, almost opaque color, the 2020 Barolo Vite Talin is deep and becomes more pure in the glass as it opens, with aromas of licorice, sage, rosemary, and charred earth. It is the most muscular and rich, with great power and length, moving assertively but evenly throughout the palate."
Wine Enthusiast - July 28, 2026 "Dark and commanding from the very first pour, black cherries with cinnamon, anise and a whisper of earth giving the nose a brooding and deeply layered richness that demands full and undivided attention. Lush and full bodied with firm tannins that arrive quietly before making their considerable authority unmistakably known, this is a bold and serious wine of extraordinary depth and presence, the kind that reminds you exactly why Nebbiolo is one of the greatest grapes on earth."
Wine Advocate - July 23, 2026 "One of the most creative expressions from the celebrated Luciano Sandrone estate is the beautiful 2020 Barolo Vite Talin. This wine marries the remarkable discovery of a unique Nebbiolo clone with the winemaking expertise of one of Barolo's leading estates. First introduced with the 2013 vintage, it remains a relatively recent addition to the portfolio and continues to stand apart stylistically. The 2020 edition offers dark fruit, plum, blackberry preserves, spice and toasted hazelnut, delivered with notable concentration and depth. The tannins are especially prominent in this vintage, requiring more time to unwind and integrate. Although additional bottle age will certainly bring greater harmony, I suspect the 2020 will always remain somewhat firmer and more astringent in personality."
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Sibi et Paucis Le Vigne Barolo
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Le Vigne Barolo
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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.
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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.
