Luciano Sandrone, Barolo, Aleste 2015

The 2015 Barolo Aleste was also tasted at the estate alongside the 2021 vintage and is an incredible wine at this moment. While I occasionally find some wines from 2015 to be heavier than I prefer, this one showcases fantastic balance in its depth and expressive personality. It reveals raspberry, cherry liqueur, fresh leather, porcini, sweet spice, and tobacco aromas. The palate is expansive, awakens the senses, and possesses profound depth as well as freshness, making it an excellent choice to enjoy now or over the next 15 years.

Sandrone's 2015 Barolo Aleste is a total stunner. Succulent dark cherry, plum, mocha, lavender and spice are all beautifully framed by ripe, silky tannins. Creamy, resonant and super-expressive, the 2015 Aleste hits all the right notes. Next to Le Vigne, Aleste is more typical of what readers might expect from a warm year. It is a gorgeous Barolo from the Sandrone family.

There is more purple and black fruit in the 2015 Barolo Aleste compared to past vintages from Luciano Sandrone and also fewer of those floral accents that characterize the Cannubi Boschis where this fruit comes from. All the same, the bouquet comes off equally as intense and as generous as ever, if not more so. This wine also seems ready from an aromatic point of view, even if it needs some extra time to reverberate in the mouth. It is compact and firm, with good, meaty fruit, and it's refreshingly expansive in scope.

Aromas of dried flowers and sweet berries follow through to a full body, very firm and chewy tannins and a long, flavorful finish. Reserved and tight. Try in 2024.