Luciano Sandrone, ‘Valmaggiore’ Nebbiolo 2019

Critics:

“The 2019 Nebbiolo d’Alba Valmaggiore is a bright, sculpted wine that is going to need a few years to come into its own. Bright acids and firm tannins are a bit present today, so a few years of cellaring are a must. The Sandrone Valmaggiore has a track record of aging well. I expect that will be the case here as well.” 93 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous

“The Luciano Sandrone 2019 Nebbiolo d’Alba Valmaggiore is a beautiful expression of this mighty red grape from the north of Italy. The Valmaggiore vineyard in Roero offers a spicy and accessible interpretation with plenty of wild cherry and blue flower. This vintage also offers pretty layer of crushed white peppercorn. You get terrific complexity and a very food-friendly ensemble at a competitive price.” 93 points, Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate

Producer

Sandrone is the Barolo producer whose wines most remind us of Burgundy. The suave, seamless texture, fine tannins and depth of flavour of these Barolos makes them some of the most sought-after wines of the region. With age, they are so polished, so pure, so seductive. Sandrone uses 500lt barrels (typically only 10% – 20% new), picks at very low yields and bottles his wines before they lose their freshness or purity. His wines are wonderfully intense and vibrant with ripe, fine tannins. They drink well young and age brilliantly. Like most of the greatest producers he takes the best of the old school and incorporates the best of the new.

The wines are bright and beautifully sophisticated which we suppose is up to date, but many of the methods are essentially old school: organic viticulture (is that modern or traditional?), open-top fermentation tanks, elongated skin contact, natural yeast fermentation, no barriques and no additions, bottling without filtration, and so on.