Luciano Sandrone Barolo Aleste 2013 Sibi et Paucis (1500ml)

The name of the wine may have changed, but Sandrone’s flagship Barolo is still, and will remain, 100% Cannubi Boschis, the Barolo vineyard so synonymous with this grower. The Boschis subzone sits near the northern end of the Cannubi hill and is located directly across from the Sandrone cellars. The Cru (of which Sandrone farm 1.9 hectares of 40-year-old vines), has a particularly good exposure to the south and southeast in a small amphitheatre or “conca” that helps hold warmth in the early morning. Its soils are sea deposits of calcareous clay with some sand and therefore excellent drainage.

Highlighting the uniqueness of the wines from this terroir compared to the rest of the Cannubi hill, Alessandro Masnaghetti’s L’Enciclopedia delle Grandi Vigne del Barolo writes, “The wines, in general, have good body, much elegance, and more polished tannins than other Cannubi wines.” Aside from a little time longer on skins, the winemaking is essentially identical to Le Vigne. While both are extraordinary, the stylistic contrast is clear as day. Where Le Vigne is lifted and perfumed, arcing towards the sky, the Aleste is of the earth; a deeper, darker, textured and yet more mineral Barolo.