Barolo Luciano Sandrone Le Vigne 2013 tasting notes: born to be great
The Barolo Luciano Sandrone Le Vigne 2013 is an amazing wine, a full-bodied Nebbiolo vinified without compromise, not yet fully ripe, but certainly one to buy and put in the cellar.
In short, drinking it now is a crime against Nebbiolo, but if you buy a Barolo Sandrone and love the Langhe, you already know that. His wines are born to challenge the decades; they are never ready before 10 years of age since the extract and tannins are of such remarkable intensity. Greatness is already written in its DNA, but it needs to smooth out some tannic edges and transform all this stormy intensity into finesse.
As you well know, the approach of the Sandrone winery is very respectful and non-interventionist, but aims to enhance typicality, austerity, and tannic power.
A power that will allow the wine to age and develop ethereal tones and the so-called tertiary notes. So don’t expect the barrique to produce a “round,” “opulent,” “decadent,” or “tamed” wine.
This Barolo Luciano Sandrone Le Vigne 2013 hits hard and goes straight to the point, which translated means that there is no softness or complacent stylization, but plenty of bitter extract, body, balsamic flavors, and a series of earthy perfumes declined with crystalline elegance.
Honestly, of the many 2013 Barolos that we have tasted lately, this is the darkest, the one that is still not completely formed; it has a balance that is still in progress, but it is not a defect; rather, it is only juvenile exuberance.
Give this bottle 5 more years, and it will begin to open up to a magnificent evolution. After all, it’s just a 2013 Barolo, just put on the market. Six years for a Barolo of this caliber is nothing.
How is the Barolo Luciano Sandrone Le Vigne 2013 made?
From the healthy (no synthetic products) grapes of the best crus of the Luciano Sandrone winery in Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Novello, and Serralunga d’Alba, which are pressed and vinified only using autochthonous yeasts.
The aging is done with respect; it takes 30 months and is done in big 500-liter barrels. The rest is legend, and we can easily preserve this wine for our children to celebrate the birth of their children.
Bouquet
Straight, charming, dark and somewhat introverted. Violets and raspberries, undertones of blackberries in spirit, truffles, a touch of musk, tea, and never-ending licorice: the herbaceous suggestions are delicate and frame a splendid fruity depth.
What does the Barolo Luciano Sandrone Le Vigne 2013 taste like?
Tense, voluminous mouth, where the earthy flavors of roots, licorice, and rhubarb are mixed with a sober evolved fruit, mottled with an herbaceous memory.
The tannic progression is engaging, the richness is entwining and imaginative, and it is a wine that has so much to give. Perhaps it is not yet balanced: it’s ready, but it is not at its peak; the tertiary development is unripe, but the thickness and the overall quality are indisputable. Five more years, and we will have a masterpiece in our hands.
Barolo Luciano Sandrone Le Vigne 2013 food pairings
With these tannins and this structure, it is a carnivorous wine, so look for succulence and fats: black truffle risotto, passatelli with Parmigiano fondue and truffle, bucatini all’amatriciana, roast beef, hamburger.
