Luciano Sandrone Barbera D'Alba 2021
Luciano Sandrone is one of the most iconic producers in Barolo, and his is both a well known and extraordinary story. He started to learn viticulture at the age of 14 or 15, and after years of work as a cellarman he depleted his life savings and purchased his first vineyard on the Cannubi hill in 1977, though he could only manage his land on the weekends while he continued to work. He made his first vintage in 1978, in the garage of his parents, and then spent years refining his ideas about how to make a wine of distinction and utmost quality that respected the traditions of Barolo while incorporating new ideas and understanding about viticulture and vinification. He made every vintage until 1999 at home, until the winery he constructed in 1998 was ready for use.
Sandrone's wines are sometimes described as straddling the modern and traditional styles in the region: elegant, attractive and easy to appreciate right from their first years in bottle, but with no less power and structure than traditional Barolos. Along with the extremely low yields in the vineyard and an obsessive attention to training, pruning and harvesting, Sandrone has a very rational approach in the cellar. This approach, however, is also unique and outside of simple classification: Sandrone subjects his wines to medium-length maceration period, shorter than traditional, but makes limited use of new oak in the maturation process, which takes place in 500 liter tonneaux, all signs of a more traditional approach in the cellar. The entire range of wines, all limited in production, are jewels of impeccably balanced concentration and precision, and the ability to age for long periods of time.
This is THE typical Barbera d’Alba wine. Ripe, spicy black fruit nose with deep oak, framing a core of pure black berries and plums along with a very deep purple-black color. In the mouth, the wine is all dark fruits. This shows blackberries and raspberries, with a chocolate and cocoa powder midpalate and hints of cassis. Concentrated, generous and mouth-filling. The high natural acidity of Barbera gives freshness and balance to the exuberant fruit. The chewy mid-palate gives this wine excellent flexibility at the table, and the typical acidity of Barbera shines through to give the vine a vibrant, bright and long finish.
| Vintage | 2021 |
| Varietal | Barbera |
| Appellation | Piedmont |
| Vineyard | Merli and Rocche di San Nicola in Novello, and Cascina Pe Mol in Monforte d'Alba. |
| Alcohol | 14.00% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Country of Origin | ITALY |
| State of Origin | N/A |
| Artificially Carbonated | No |
| Sparkling Wine | No |
Though originally a native of the Monferrato hills, in the second half of the nineteenth century Barbera vines were planted in Roero and then in Langa. On these hills it thrived, often in competition with Nebbiolo, in the most suitable spaces where marl and compact soils prevail and where Barbera flourishes in the sunniest parcels. From this special symbiosis, the wine Barbera d'Alba is born, fruity and tangy, another star of the vineyard and of the cellar.
In this production area there are different vineyard parcels in which we cultivate Barbera in the hills of Barolo; each expresses its own character, dictated by the peculia- rities of terrain and climate. Each vintage we pick its grapes by hand and vinify each parcel separately to preserve the character of site into the wines. From the assemblage of these wines comes our Barbera d'Alba which we mature for 15 months in wooden barrels, a good part of which are new and that best balance the natural fruity and fresh texture of the wine with soft tannins.
Barbera is a delicate and demanding grape varietal. A meticulous search throughout the area for the very best soils, agronomical decisions and particular attention to vinification enable Sandrone to reveal the very best qualities of this wine. Barbera d’Alba is made to be a medium-weight wine that will drink well for a decade. It shows delicious and plump berry and black fruits. As Barbera possesses almost no natural tannins, the use of tonneaux gives the wine some much-needed structure. It is a perfect match with rich winter dishes as the bright acidity keeps it from being too heavy.
