Barolo Le Vigne, Luciano Sandrone 2017

The 2017 Barolo Le Vigne is rich, pliant and so expressive. Even so, I imagine it will need a few years to open up fully. Bright red fruit, rose petal, blood orange and spice give the 2017 its distinctly red-toned profile. Elegant and translucent, the 2017 is very nicely balanced. Vineyard sources are Baudana, Villero, Vignane and Merli. 2025-2037

The 2017 Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne has a gentle, sweet, smoky spice nose with a touch of fresh leather. It is medium-full, with a sublime, melting texture and very finely integrated tannins, There is a great harmony and finesse to the palate, with gentle red fruit and spice notes. A hint of tar in the middle adds intrigue. Unlike most 2017s, the slight dryness of the tannins is not there - they are integrated into the wine in a subtle, harmonious way. Maybe wait one year to drink then drink up to 20 years at least.

Grapes come from Villero (Castiglione d'Alba), Baudana (Serralunga d'Alba), Vignane and Merli (both in Barolo). Quite a big part of whole bunch, but crushed, while some of the tanks had de-stemmed grapes only. The times on the skins can vary per tank, some get a whole month, others only 10 days. 'We decide vineyard per vineyard. The maceration on the skins is "cappello sommerso" (submerged cap) and it may go through malolactic fermentation (MLF) while the wines are on the skins, although we prefer to have MLF after racking. It is less risky from a bacterial point of view because we age the wines on the fine lees for a long time and then put it in barrels and we want the wines to be as clean as possible before the ageing in barrel starts.' The wine was aged for 24 months in tonneaux of which 20% were new but untoasted French oak. Just mid ruby. Gorgeous ripe red-fruit nose with a peppery edge and minerally hints of iron. Just a hint of savoury oak, but very much in the background. Lots of juice on the palate and with bags of powdery but perfectly ripe tannins. Very long sour-cherry and cranberry finish with real depth.