Luciano Sandrone Barolo Vite Talin 2018

Luciano Sandrone Barolo Vite Talin is made from a unique strain of Nebbiolo that Luciano Sandrone identified in a single vine in 1987.

Sandrone noticed one vine in his rented plot in Le Coste behaving unlike its neighbours: smaller bunches and berries, less vigour, and leaves of a different morphology. He took cuttings and planted them in several spots to see whether the behaviour held. It did, and from 1991 he and his brother Luca, the vineyard manager, began planting the material in two crus, Drucà and Rivassi; the family later acquired the original Le Coste parcel and planted that to the same vines, so there are now three small sites. DNA testing in 2017 confirmed the vines were Nebbiolo but a strain never previously identified, and the family named it Nebbiolo Vite Talin, after the grower who had owned the original vine. Barbara Sandrone notes that a Talin berry weighs less than a gram in an average year, around half the size of normal Nebbiolo, which concentrates skin to juice dramatically.

A wine for the long haul that repays several hours in a decanter if opened early; serve at 16–18°C with dry-aged beef, braised game or aged Castelmagno.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.