2017 Sandrone 'Aleste' Barolo DOCG

97 Wine Enthusiast. Aromas of menthol, pressed rose, wild berry and grilled herb are front and center in this stunning wine along with a whiff of forest floor. Combining structure and finesse, the savory, full-bodied palate delivers juicy Marasca cherry, blood orange and licorice before an espresso finish. Firm, refined tannins provide tight support. Drink 2025–2032. Cellar Selection.

JamesSuckling.com: 96 points. The purity and brightness of nebbiolo is so impressive here. Strawberries and blue fruit abound. Full-bodied, yet tight and very polished with a long, persistent finish. Very transparent and appealing. Drink in 2025 and onwards. Review Date: May 2021.

95 Wine & Spirits. From the family’s parcels at Cannubi Boschis, Aleste grows in a bowl that traps the morning sun. The wine is dense and rich in this warm vintage, its dark cherry and black-raspberry fruit tones balanced by plenty of acidity and cool minerality. It opens with scents of rose petal and lavender, the dark fruit enveloped in a silky texture.

93 Wine Spectator. Balsamic aromas and flavors of mint, eucalyptus and sage dominate the cherry and berry notes in this linear red. There is a contradiction and tension now between its graceful entry and dense, muscular finish. Nonetheless, this is long and finds an equilibrium in the end.

Luciano Sandrone, one of Barolo’s defining figures, began as a teenage vineyard worker, saved enough to buy his first Cannubi parcel in 1977, and made his early wines in his parents’ garage while holding a full-time job. By 1999 he’d moved into his own winery, having spent two decades shaping a style that respects Barolo tradition while embracing careful, thoughtful updates. His wines sit between the region’s traditional and modern camps: generous and approachable when young yet firmly built for aging. Extremely low yields, meticulous vineyard work, and a measured cellar approach—medium-length macerations and mostly used 500-liter tonneaux—give his small-production wines their hallmark precision, balance, and lasting power.