2001 Barolo Le Vigne

Luciano Sandrone’s 2001 Barolo Le Vigne is fresh, vibrant and totally impeccable. Flowers, mint, minerals and juicy red berries are some of the many nuances that come to life in the 2001 Le Vigne. The wine gains volume and shape with time in the glass. Seemingly endless layers of fruit flesh out on the mid-palate and finish. Hints of leather, spices, licorice and flowers add further complexity on the close. This is a fabulous showing from Luciano Sandrone. Although Sandrone’s Cannubi Boschis gets most of the attention, the reality is that in many vintages Le Vigne is very much its equal. The ability to blend fruit from several parcels, an approach rarely used today, has plenty of merits. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2021. Importer: Vintus LLC, Pleasantville, NJ tel. (914) 769-3000

Traditional in design, but modern in execution, the 2001 Barolo Le Vigne presents tremendous harmony and elegance. Ideally a few years of cellaring are warranted although the wine is already drinking well today.

Deep red-ruby. Very closed, extremely primary nose hints at black fruits. Impressively rich, dense and large-scaled, with great sweetness and pliancy in the middle palate. Offers outstanding palate presence without coming off as heavy. Finishes with huge, horizontal, rather muscular tannins and an austere suggestion of menthol. With time in the glass, this classy wine turned increasingly clenched on the back end. I would not be surprised to see this wine go into a shell for several years. But it may well merit a score in the mid-90s when it emerges.