2011 Luciano Sandrone, Barolo, Aleste

The 2011 Barolo Cannubi Boschis is brilliant stuff and shows the warmer, richer style of the vintage fabulously well. Deep, rich, and sexy, with lots of kirsch and blackberry fruits, it has classic spice, licorice, and floral notes, full body, sweet tannins, and a big finish. It’s drinking beautifully today and leads with its fruit, yet it has the mid-palate depth and balance to keep for another 15+ years.

Luciano Sandrone's 2011 Barolo Cannubi Boschis is shaping up to be one of the protagonists of the vintage. I say "shaping up" because the wine is still in a youthful stage and has yet to open up fully. Tight and firm, it shows the potential for enormous depth and dimension with dark fruit, spice, licorice and white truffle. If you taste through Sandrone's older vintages, it is apparent that they perform exceptionally well in warm years like 2011. It promises a rewarding evolution ahead but I would suggest waiting five more years before popping the cork.

Barolo. Pale crimson. Sweet and pure on the nose. Not the most intense 2011. Just a little chunky in structure. Masses of drying tannin on the end and a suggestion of Vegemite and something a little sour on the finish. Maybe it will all fall into place but for the moment there are some more convincing examples. (JR)