Tasting Notes
Valmaggiore is a magical, three-hectare, amphitheatre-shaped vineyard in the Roero area of Piemonte. Now that Roero is rising in prominence, we can start to truly recognise what a pioneer Luciano Sandrone was in the region when he established Valmaggiore some 30 years ago. At this time nobody was talking about Roero (unless it was to disparage it), yet Sandrone recognised its potential, having worked with parcels of Roero fruit during his time as cellarmaster of Marchesi di Barolo. Sandrone worked tirelessly to identify a particular site, then to convince all the farmers on the slope to sell him their land, and finally, he had to convince the bank to fund his project. The risks were enormous; establishing an extremely steep vineyard (50% gradient in places), with such sandy soils (quick to dry out and erode) was always going to be a huge challenge, with no guarantee of quality. The land would also need to be terraced and replanted, requiring major investment. And all this in a place, outside of the Barolo region, that no one believed capable of greatness. Luciano Sandrone begged to differ.
The spectacularly beautiful Valmaggiore vineyard was planted to a relatively high density of 8,000 vines per hectare. The wines it gifted from the early days justified Sandrone’s dream: it’s always a remarkably perfumed and elegant expression of Nebbiolo, quite distinct from the denser, darker, more structured styles produced in the clay-rich soils of Barolo and Barbaresco. The wine has since gone from strength to strength as the vines have aged, and today is absolutely outstanding.
The site is farmed meticulously and organically, and strict sorting occurs each year to reach the level of purity and intensity we see in the glass. Fermentation occurs in tank, with malolactic conversion and maturation in old French demi-muid (with 9-12 months aging). Over the years this wine has developed a passionate following in Australia, and it deserves every plaudit. It is a unique wine of tremendous perfume, chalky texture and finesse; the energetic and mineral-etched 2021 is arguably the prettiest and most detailed vintage we have shipped. It is that good. - Importer Note
Sandrone is the Barolo producer whose wines most remind us of Burgundy. The suave, seamless texture, fine tannins and depth of flavour of these Barolos makes them some of the most sought-after wines of the region. With age, they are so polished, so pure, so seductive. Sandrone uses 500lt barrels (typically only 10% - 20% new), picks at very low yields and bottles his wines before they lose their freshness or purity. His wines are wonderfully intense and vibrant with ripe, fine tannins. They drink well young and age brilliantly. Like most of the greatest producers he takes the best of the old school and incorporates the best of the new. The wines are bright and beautifully sophisticated which we suppose is up to date, but many of the methods are essentially old school: organic viticulture (is that modern or traditional?), open-top fermentation tanks, elongated skin contact, natural yeast fermentation, no barriques and no additions, bottling without filtration, and so on. Of course what is most important is that irrespective of fashion or style, Luciano Sandrone crafts wines of profound integrity, purity and deep expression. These are wines made with passion and honesty. They provide great drinking pleasure both when young and with bottle age. As a fastidious and naturally talented vigneron, Sandrone's obligation to keep the unique signature of the terroirs alive is vividly captured in the wonderfully intense wines
- Importer Note
| Product Type | Wine Red Nebbiolo |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Piedmont |
| Sub Region | Alba |
| Winemaking Practices | Minimal Intervention |
| Vineyard Practices | Minimal Intervention |