Luciano Sandrone

In the village of Barolo, located in the Langhe hills of Piemonte, the name Sandrone carries great weight. Luciano Sandrone, who passed away in January 2023 at the age of 76, built one of Italy’s most respected wineries from the ground up, starting with nothing more than a small plot of land and a garage. Today, the estate continues to operate under the management of his family.

History

Luciano grew up in a carpenter’s family, but from an early age he was passionate about wine. He trained as a winemaker at the historic Marchesi di Barolo estate, saving enough money to purchase his first plot of land on the Cannubi Boschis hill in 1977. His first vintage followed in 1978; it was made in his parents’ garage, and only 1,500 bottles were produced. He sold the entire batch to an American buyer at Vinitaly in 1982, and international interest soon followed. Every vintage up to 1999 was produced at home.

In 1998, he built a fully-fledged winery at the foot of Cannubi Hill, which opened in time for the 2000 vintage. His brother Luca, an agronomist, worked alongside him in the vineyards, whilst his daughter Barbara has been involved in the business since the early 1990s. Luciano’s grandchildren, Alessia and Stefano, represent the next generation.

Vineyards

Today, the estate cultivates 27 hectares of vineyards located in the Langhe and Roero regions. The key plots for the flagship Barolo wines are Cannubi Boschis in the village of Barolo and the four plots used for the Le Vigne blend: Boudana in Serralunga d’Alba, Villerò in Castiglione Falletto, Vignane in Barolo and Merli in Novello. These four plots form an almost diagonal line across the Barolo zone, each with different soils, altitudes and exposures. In Roero, the Valmaggiore vineyard produces Nebbiolo d’Alba.

Terroir

The Cannubi Boschis plot is situated on the lower slopes of Cannubi Hill, where warm and sheltered conditions promote concentration and depth of flavour. The four Le Vigne plots, by contrast, encompass a wide range of soil types, from light and sandy to denser and deeper, which lends the blend its complexity. The Langhe hills are characterised by steep, calcareous-clay soils typical of Piedmont, well suited to the slow and even ripening of the Nebbiolo grape.

Grapes

The main variety is Nebbiolo, from which all three Barolo wines and the Nebbiolo d’Alba from Valmaggiore are produced. The estate also produces Barbera d’Alba and Dolcetto d’Alba from its other plots.

Winemaking

Harvesting is carried out exclusively by hand. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks using indigenous yeasts, with a moderate maceration period — shorter than in traditional old-school Barolo — to preserve freshness. The Barolo is aged in 500-litre French oak barrels, a small proportion of which are new. Each of Le Vigne’s plots is harvested, fermented and aged separately before the final blending takes place. Sandrone also runs the ‘Sibi et Paucis’ ageing programme, under which selected bottles are aged for ten years before release.

Wines

The estate produces two types of Barolo. Aleste, formerly known as Cannubi Boschis until it was renamed in 2013 in honour of Luciano’s grandchildren, Alessia and Stefano, is made from grapes from the single Cannubi Boschis vineyard and is the more concentrated of the two. Barolo Le Vigne is a blend from vineyards across different plots, the character of which varies with each vintage. Both wines are among Italy’s most highly rated. The range is complemented by Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d'Alba, Barbera d'Alba and Dolcetto d'Alba, all produced to the same standards, regardless of price category.