2007 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Le Vigne

Bright, dark red. Dark raspberry, chocolate and coffee on the nose; smells clearly riper than the 2008. Fat, sweet and plump, with a texture of liquid velvet. Surprising acidity and substantial but smooth tannins give this very ripe Barolo excellent spine. Finishes with a note of menthol. The 2008 may be a bit longer but it's much tighter today.

The 2007 Barolo Le Vigne presents a beguiling combination of explosive, ripe fruit and finessed silky tannins that make it a thrilling wine to taste, even at this stage in its development. Small red berries, minerals, crushed flowers, vanillin, and sweet spices are woven together in a fabric of undescribable elegance. The French oak has never been better balanced, while the vibrant, crystalline finish leaves a lasting impression. The 2007 Le Vigne has all the potential to develop into a spectacular wine…actually, it already is. This is a totally stunning bottle of Barolo.

Good deep, bright red. Darker fruits on the nose than the Cannubi Boschis, complicated by brown spices; less forthcoming and perfumed today. Then superripe, broad and deep in the mouth, with a brooding medicinal character to its flavors of dark fruits, brown spices and smoky underbrush. The energy from calcaire and the wine's huge tannins give this wine a chewy and very young impression, but there's plenty of sweetness here. Sandrone will probably delay the release of this huge wine, which he says has "similar numbers to the Cannubi Boschis but a different sensation in the mouth."