2002 Barolo Le Vigne

Medium red. High-pitched, perfumed aromas of blackberry, raspberry, licorice and baking spices. Fairly rich and suave, but less fleshy and deep than usual for a Barolo from this superlative producer. Could use a bit more generosity. Finishes with a firm acid/tannin backbone. Sandrone reportedly made barely one-third of a normal crop from these vines in 2002.

2002 Barolo Le Vigne—Dark red. The 2002 vintage gave Sandrone very little to work with, as the Vignane and Merli vineyards fell prey to hail damage. In 2002 Le Vigne contains fruit from just the Ceretta and Conterni vineyards, and in the context of the vintage the 2002 Barolo Le Vigne is an excellent effort. It shows notes of toasted oak, herbs and macerated cherry fruit with modest depth and complexity, yet with good overall balance. The evolving color as well as the appearance of secondary aromas and flavors suggests this wine is on a relatively fast path of maturity. It should be at its best between 2007-2012. 88/drink after 2006, 03/06 Antonio Galloni, In the Cellar # G7 May 2006

Medium red. High-pitched, perfumed aromas of blackberry, raspberry, licorice and baking spices. Fairly rich and suave, but less fleshy and deep than usual for a Barolo from this superlative producer. Could use a bit more generosity. Finishes with a firm acid/tannin backbone. Sandrone reportedly made barely one-third of a normal crop from these vines in 2002. 87-89 Points.