Luciano Sandrone, Barolo Cannubi Boschis 2003

robert_parker93

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Sandrone's 2003 Barolo Cannubi Boschis reveals smoke, tar, licorice and dark plums with superb balance and a vibrant, engaging personality. Made in a sweeter, richer style than Le Vigne, its notable depth and well-integrated tannins make it one of the vintage's successes. I have a slight preference for Le Vigne over Cannubi Boschis today but both wines are among the finest in this vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019. I have been following Luciano Sandrone’s 2003 Barolos for the last two years and the wines have developed very positively over that time. “I have to say I’m pleased with the way our 2003s are evolving.” says Sandrone. “Fortunately we had a little bit of rain towards the end of the growing season. The rain came too late to help the Dolcettos and Barberas, but we waited until early October to pick the Nebbiolos and luckily they had some time to recuperate.” Like his colleagues Sandrone is very happy with 2004, and he has told me on multiple occasions he considers 2004 to be a great vintage. Readers may recall from Issue 2 that Sandrone harvests and vinifies each of the plots within his vineyards separately, with the blending of the component wines taking place during the second year of oak aging. Accordingly, readers should note that the 2003s reviewed below represent the final blends of these Barolos, while the 2004s were tasted as separate components. Importer: Vintus LLC, Pleasantville, NJ tel. (914) 769 3000

robert_parker93

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

2003 Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis (from barrel, final blend)—Dark and brooding, this gorgeous wine shows, rich concentrated dark cherry and prune fruit, cinnamon, cloves and minerals a very long finish, tannic. This is a very complete wine. Superb. 91-93 points, 12/04 Few winemakers offer the kind of thorough insight into the wines as Luciano Sandrone does. Time spent in Sandrone’s cellar is always a fascinating and educational experience. Over the years, Sandrone has led the way in making modern, accessible wines through a strong commitment to low yields, which are typically half or slightly less than half of the legally allowed limits. “I am really excited about 2004. We green harvested three times and still had excellent quality and quantity. I think 2004 may turn out to be the best vintage in the last ten years,” says Sandrone.

robert_parker92

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Sandrone’s 2003 Barolo Cannubi Boschis reveals smoke, tar, licorice and dark plums with superb balance and a vibrant, engaging personality. Made in a sweeter, richer style than Le Vigne, its notable depth and well-integrated tannins make it one of the vintage’s successes. I have a slight preference for Le Vigne over Cannubi Boschis today but both wines are among the finest in this vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2009-2019. Luciano Sandrone is one of the leading lights in Piedmont. No grower has managed to so brilliantly reconcile modern and traditional approaches in making wines that are soft, supple and approachable when young, but also capable of aging beautifully. I have been following Sandrone's 2003 Barolos since just after the harvest. Over the last few years they have developed remarkably, and today are among the most successful Barolos of the vintage, particularly for the softness of their tannins, something which few producers were able to achieve. Both the Cannubi Boschis and Le Vigne were perfectly fresh and intact when I re-tasted them after 48 hours had passed. "Clearly 2003 was a challenging vintage. We used less of the fruit from our warmer microclimates for Le Vigne, although obviously we didn't have that luxury with Cannubi Boschis. In a sense it is a return to the past in that multi-commune Barolos had an advantage over single-vineyard wines. We did everything we could to maintain as much freshness as possible in the wines. We fermented using lower temperatures and bottled earlier than normal." Importers: Vintus LLC, Pleasantville, NJ tel. (914) 769-3000; Lauber Imports, Somerville, NJ; tel. (908) 725-2100

vinous92

Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni

Sandrone's 2003 Barolo Cannubi Boschis reveals smoke, tar, licorice and dark plums with superb balance and a vibrant, engaging personality. Made in a sweeter, richer style than Le Vigne, its notable depth and well-integrated tannins make it one of the vintage's successes. I have a slight preference for Le Vigne over Cannubi Boschis today but both wines are among the finest in this vintage.